


Butterflies and Gunpowder (Hiatus)

by LetheaBlade (orphan_account)



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Adult Content, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, F/M, Medium Honor Arthur Morgan, Not Beta Read, Period Typical Attitudes, Reality Bending, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Time Travel, Trauma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:27:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24816094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/LetheaBlade
Summary: ”What is the first rule of our agency?”“To never destroy the flow of time.”“What is the penalty?”“Death.”When a time traveler comes back to retrieve copies of historical documents she unwillingly breaks the biggest law of her civilization. With one misplaced bullet she becomes a fugitive from her own time; however, very quickly she finds out how very wrong just one mistake can go.When time starts to shatter and lives are on the line the only way to fix it is to find the sources of the cracks and fix them by any means necessary. Especially when there ends up being an unexpected life in need of saving.Friendship built on mystery and romance from tragedy, one cowboy and one traveler will blur the rules of time and space in ways neither could expect. A story that once lead to a sure death now leads derailed into darkness. Butterflies are stepped on and gunpowder is spilt.It all comes down to the last sunrise. Some paths are strong to the last, some deaths are meant to happen, and sometimes the rules don’t exist.
Relationships: Arthur Morgan/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 64





	1. Welcome to the West

The morning sun touched the backs of four men. One dressed to the nines, one with silver in his hair, one with shaggy blond locks, and one with long black hair and a bucket of water in his hands. They all stood around a figure slumped over into the dirt. Hands pulled behind their body with the shine of chains catching the sun just so. The small group stood just to the side of what looked to be a large and fairly active camp.

"Good Morning Sunshine!"

The cold bite of water along a tired body and the sharp scream from a woman's throat echoed around the open land. Ducks on the nearby pond jumped slightly and hurried to swim further away. Birds nervously sang warnings to each other, but in the middle of it all sat a shaking woman in chains surrounded by a few gruff looking men. Red started to drip out of auburn hair and onto her blue dress. Old crusted blood slightly washed away by the sudden fluck of water.

Almond shaped eyes slowly opened to expose grey eyes. A pink and purple mixture showing just how little sleep the woman had truly gotten. Small button shaped nose rubbed raw, full lips caked with dry spittle and falling skin. She looked like utter hell.

"She don't look so awake, Dutch." The blond man spoke to the sharply dressed man. Dutch knelt and met the women's grey eyes. Slowly he brought his fingers up to her chin and grabbed it roughly. Cold rings clashed against his warm fingers.

"Are you awake girl?" Dutch asked running a finger over her chin.

"I really hope not." She croaked in return.

"You sound thirsty, Miss." The older man said taking a step forward. Despite his older form, his stature was tall and strong. Eyes glancing down at with a mixture of hate and pity.

"I am."

"John if you would." Dutch asked almost kindly while taking a step away from the woman.

John stepped forward and dumped the rest of the water over her head making her yell yet again against the ice that now dripped down her body.

”Jesus Christ, what did I ever do to you-“ His hand came across her face so fast it knocked the breath out of her. Blood started pouring from her newly busted bottom lip.

"Calm down Arthur." The older man said pushing the blond man back a few steps. Her eyes met the fiery green eyes of Arthur. He was angry and she couldn't blame him.

”One if my men died because of you. You remember? On that train?” He grabbed her jaw again and yanked it up to meet her eyes. Dutch took a moment to be surprised by the utter fire burning in them. There was soma fear sure, but her anger nearly boiled over in her steel grey eyes.

”I remember being held down by the Cornwall men. One hit me over the head and then...”

_A loud crash and bang made her ears ring. Hot wet liquid dropped onto her ears and down her back. The Cornwall man holding the metal slate dropped it and shivered. Slowly they stepped off one by one. Still dazed she took out her small revolver and aimed it at the door. Those son of a bitches would pay. The man had only made it three steps into the train when she fired twice. Both bullets met his head creating an explosion of red and white. The pink mist painted the wall behind him before his body slumped._

”...I didn’t know he was one of yours I thought he was a Cornwall man coming back for me. I was hurt and scared.” His hand loosened a little bit from her chin.

”Say I believe you, why were you even on that train?” Dutch asked.

”She still shot one of our men Dutch. I didn’t like a Micah too much but he was ours.” Arthur said stepping forward.

“She did, Arthur. I didn’t say I believed her. I’m asking as if I did.” Dutch said raising his free hand in the air.

”It don’t matter who I work for anymore. I shit the bed and if they ever saw me again I’d be as good as dead.” Dutch once again loosened his grip ever so slightly as she spoke.

”She ain’t no O’Driscoll.” John said suddenly.

”Of course not, O’Driscolls play off of stupidity and strength in numbers. They wouldn’t send a lone woman.” The older man finally spoke up.

”May be a Pinkerton, Hosea.” Arthur said looking away from the woman, “Sneaky bastards would pull something like that.”

“Why would they want to kill her if she killed one of us?” John asked, “Wouldn’t they give her the bounty?”

”Pinkertons want to see us hung.” Hosea corrected John.

”No, they would have swarmed camp already.” Dutch interrupted them. He stood up and rubbed his hands together.

”What’s your name girl?” He finally asked.

”Why do you want to know that now?” The woman looked up slowly, squinting against the bright morning light.

”Don't much care to name a dead man walkin’.” Dutch pushes his hat back ever so slightly. Another hand passed over his lips. A wave of slight relief washed over the woman’s face.

“Belle Graham, ask around if you’d like. I’m not from around here. They won’t know the likes of me.” Belle dropped her head in exhaustion and attempted to make her aching body comfortable in the dirt.

”Welcome to camp, Miss. Graham.” She curled her body while the sounds of boots left her alone. She tried to fight the pain in her belly and dryness on her tongue. Nothing besides the feeling of doom kept her company.

_"I don't think this is such a good idea, Leo." Belle stepped forward into the light with a wary expression. Straightened hair touching the bottom of her shoulder blades. A crisp tan uniform adorned her body with a singular blue stripe across her shoulder. The bright blue color told any onlooker her status of historian among their people. It wasn't the best job but it was easy. Only one rule proved fatal amongst those who weren't careful._

_"You were his student, He'd want you to continue his study." An oranged haired man fiddled with a file in his hands. Hazel eyes looked onto Belle with determination. Her hands were shaky when retrieving them._

_"1899 is a long jump forward from 1672. I'm a student of the past, but not this one." Her eyes glanced over the manilla envelope. It was comical to see something of a time long gone. Most files were kept on drives and holographic tablets. Theodore was a product of that past. He had been born in the late 2000's and, even in his old age, clung tight to his traditions._

_"He was down to simple things. Documents and files. I've read over it all, he was impressive. Even taking the time to jot every cave painting he could find." Leo said walking towards the stack of Manilla files left on the clean iron desk._

_"You think I would ever run into Theodore?" Belle knew the answer but asked anyway as if with one word Leo could change the rules just a little. Even if they wanted to, time remained unbent by men. They could warp it just enough to slip between years, but other than that time remained a carefree mistress. With the wrong calculations she could be cruel and deadly as well._

_"You know as well as I do that the past becomes your future. If you see him it will be glances at best. Leave it be, Belle. You can't save him." Leo dropped his hand to the small glass orb full of fake snow. It was a relic of a time long past, but Theodore had collected it when he was a child._

_"So, who is the lucky informant?" Belle watched the fake snow fall around as Leo moved his wrist._

_"A man by the name Leviticus Cornwall."_


	2. Sprichst du Deutsch

_Mary Beth was considered one of the kindest souls in the gang. She had eyes that could calm a fleeting deer and a sweet smile that sent men to their knees. Her very presence was comforting as an almost angelic sound came from her soft full lips. She was a kind, good-natured young woman, which made her the perfect criminal. By the time people realize they've been duped, she was already on the way home with the money._

"You must be hungry." Mary Beth's voice roused the woman on the ground. Kind green eyes and brightly freckled face was partially hidden by the shadow cast above her.

"Are you supposed to be here?" Belle asked with a hoarse voice. Bloodshot eyes and peeling lips. Auburn hair looked like a messy nest of blood and dirt. Wrists raw from pulling on the chain behind her.

"As long as I hang the clothes for dryin' they don't pay much mind to me... Here." Mary Beth said. She knelt and put the bowl and small cask of water on the ground. The sound of water sloshing around perked Bell up. She nearly scrambled to sit up. Mary Beth took one hand to steady Belle and the other to bring the small wooden cup full of water to her lips. For a few minutes they stayed in that position. Mary Beth offering a refilled cup of water and Bell taking long slow drinks of it until she felt like an exploding tick.

Once finished, Mary Beth helped Belle to sit up fully and pulled a rag from the water. They sat in near silence as blood was washed away and small wounds checked, "Nothin' much I can do about the hair... or smell for now."

"I... Thank you. You've done more to make me feel human." Belle looked to where Dutch sat talking to a red haired woman. He laughed deeply at something the woman said, "There's nothing I can say to make this better. I killed a man, one of your men."

"Micah? No one much cared for him, save Dutch. Once you're one of his men you are one of us til the day you die, or get killed." She pulled the bowl into her hands and slowly took out a spoon full of grits. It was cold but fresh from the mornings batch.

"Yeah, I got that." Belle happily sat perched and as pretty as she could when the first bite of food came to her. She was so distracted that she didn't noticed the slight flit to Mary Beth's eyes or the sound of grass being stepped on.

"Listen, the men got me curious. They don't talk about it much but..." She leaned forward as if it were a secret, "Those documents they found in your hands on the train, they ain't worth nothin'. Why'd you have 'em?"

"It's a long story." Belle answered between chews. Mary Beth sucked in her top lip for just a moment to chew on it as if picking her next words carefully.

"We've got time." A man laughed loudly behind them making Belle jump in fear. He was a bear of a man, someone she remembered vaguely smashing her over the head with something hard. Try as she might, a name just couldn't come to her. He walked alongside Arthur. They kept their eyes away from the two women thankfully.

"Where I'm from, I specialize in documents. To you those documents are just words. To me they are important. Cornwall, the cadence in which he writes with, his handwriting, formal vs informal speech. To you it's just documents of his company, to me it's my ability to study and learn." As Belle spoke a twinkle came into her tired bloodshot eyes. Just enough to brighten her face just a little bit.

"Why did you want them?" Mary Beth pressed.

"The people I used to work for. They wanted them not me, I was just there to take them and copy them. I replace the originals with the copies and boom, my company had the originals." Belle opened her mouth obediently for the spoon full of grits.

"So you can forge documents." Mary Beth leaned back just a little and allowed her eyes to flit once more.

"Not to toot my own horn, but I'm really really good at it. So good that they sent me to this place when I had almost zero preparation and knowledge." Belle caught it this time. She strained her ear enough to hear the soft crash of bark under someone's hands. An idle action she was sure.

"Thank you for your kindness, but you and your friend can go now." Her eyes closed as if dismissing Mary Beth. There wasn't much a captured woman could do, but the small amount of power she could show helped Belle grasp at some sort of strength inside of her. Even with aching shoulders and burning wrists she smiled.

_She was a kind, good-natured young woman, which made her the perfect criminal. By the time people realize they've been duped, she was already on the way home with the ~~money.~~ information._

* * *

Belle watched a butterfly land on a newly blossomed flower. She wasn't quite sure what kind it was. The world had long since gone desolate due to human interference. Her own home was on the small portion that was still inhabited by all sorts of travelers including historians like herself, soldiers for more dangerous missions, and police forces that would come to make sure historians didn't screw up too badly. Time was such a fragile thing. It was almost laughable that they thought they could master it. Even with all the best calculations in the world you could end up in a million pieces. The future becomes your present as the present becomes the past. There was no going back and undoing what had been done. There was no magic fix it button, there was no redos in life. Even with the power of time, there was only one way to go. And forward she had gone.

Mary Beth had come to talk to her twice more with little effect. It was hurtful to see the other woman again every day, but at least they kept her alive with meger grits and stale water. The others had been by every so often to look. None of them spoke to her, but they all had the same look in their eyes. Not as much anger as she had previously anticipated. There was more of a heavy caution instead.

There was one person who looked at her in a different way. Like she was of value. The mousy man was constantly looking over at her when speaking with Dutch. Like a man negotiating a price over goods. They bickered most times, but eventually shook hands. This was when he started to approach her. Women chatted away on a blanket, with a young boy running between them. Further away by the horses stood two men. It was surreal. The world kept going but she was chained to a pole.

"It seems we haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet, Fräulein. I am Leopold Strauss." The scrawny man crouched and offered a hand in greeting. Belle sat up slowly and took a breath in through her nose.

"I would greet you, but my hands..."

"I'll take care of that." His voice was behind her ear in seconds. The slight smell of cigarettes and whiskey on his breath. Arthur took off her cuffs slowly and stood up, laying a hand lazily on his revolver. A subtle warning.

Belle reached out and took Leopold's hand to shake. A sense of worry started over her.

"Oh I see that look on your face, Liebchen. I just have an opportunity. Would you like something to drink first?" Leopold looked behind him for a quick moment.

"Get on with it Strauss, we don't have all day." Arthur said impatiently.

"Uh, right right. You see, I hear you can forge documents-"

"Of course you heard-"

"And I deal with the money in this camp. As much as I can. Loans and deals and such." Leopold spoke louder to overtake her voice.

"A real Rumpelstiltskin aren't cha?" Belle asked making Leopold's lip twitch into a smile quickly.

"You see right through me." He smiled and chuckled.

"So, what do you want me to do?" She folded her hands and held her teeth together. The longer she was stuck in this camp the faster they could find her. There was only so long she could hide in a spot of time. If she could just get to her hidden-

"I wanted to start off slow, something simple. If we get caught no big deal, slap on the wrist. If not we gather our money and more. I could try and get you a place to sleep that isn't in chains. Though you would still be a prisoner, I'm afraid." While he spoke a gleam started in his eyes. Hands moving as if miming paperwork.

"And if we do get caught." Hope rose in her chest. If she could avoid her own people and hide amongst this gang then possibly she could bide her time.

"You stay on this pole 'til we figure out what to do with ya." Arthur moved from one foot to the other.

Belle looked at the sky. Clouds moving in the blue and yellow mixture that brightened the day. Off to the left there was a flock of birds. She could live here for a time. Hidden away, change her identity. There was only so long something like that would work, but she could always hide in a different pocket once things were in place. She was sure they wouldn't mind here as long as she could provide the services they asked of her. She turned her head to see Arthur scuffing his boot against the dirt, covering what was left of the cigarette he had smoked behind her. 

"It doesn't sound like I have a choice then, does it?" Belle asked Arthur directly. He gave a humorless smile.

"No, it doesn't."

"Alright, where is the sample of his handwriting." Belle asked trying to unclump her hair with her fingers.

"The what?" Leopold asked looking to Arthur with confusion. Arthur shrugged but kept a hand on the butt of his gun.

"You know the sample. It can be a diary entry, a letter, something so I can study his handwriting and copy it. If it's too off people will notice. You don't think they will but you'd be surprised." Belle winced as her fingers grazed over a sore part of her head. The rough edge of a scab forming over the healing wound.

"Did you retrieve anything of the sort from his house, Arthur?" Leopold asked.

"Oh yeah, between feeding his dog and straightening his bedroom I took the time to fetch his letters for him too!" Arthur growled out sarcastically causing Leopold to scowl.

"I can't do it without a sample. You can't expect me to just pull a signature out of thin air here." The three sat in tense silence for a while.

"You'll have to go and get it Arthur." Leopold finally spoke up.

"The hell I will, don't know what I'm lookin' for." Arthur leaned back on his feet and light a cigarette.

"A letter-" Belle attempted to explain again.

"No I got that part, just meanin' don't know what you're lookin' for from the letter." The snap in his voice made both Leopold and Belle jump.

"Simple, take her with you." Leopold smiled toothily, "Have one of the women straighten her up and-"

"No no no, if I leave this camp I'm in more danger than if I stay." Fingers dug into her arms. Eyes widened in fear, "They don't like failure. The people I worked for."

"Darlin' I think you're confusing yourself here." Arthur knelt and grabbed her chin to make her face him, "You don't got a choice."

* * *

"You know I had to, right?" Mary Beth tried for the third time to talk to the gritty woman under her hands. Tilly shot a look towards her as a sign of slight annoyance. The small tent went silent save the chattering of teeth.

Tilly pressed the two suitable dresses down and carefully chose stockings and a corset to match. Not that there would be much peaking, but it was habit. In the corner sat Karen holding a gun for show. At this point they knew that Belle knew she was dead if she tried anything, but it seemed their leader had a knack for showmanship. Sitting right in the middle of the haphazardly placed tent was a small trough of water. The woman inside held her limbs as tightly to her body as she could and clamped her teeth as tight as she could against the ice cold water. Red water and frothy bubbles sat in a smaller tin water trough. It had been used on her hair to keep the blood from staining her skin too much in the bath.

Soap ran down sunburnt skin followed by the gentle scrubbing nails of Mary Beth, "I'm-"

"Look, if I say it's okay will you stop talking?" Belle was formulating a plan to escape. If it was just her and the blond cowboy she could possibly trick him long enough to run. She would have to wait out a few waves of seekers, but if she could just get ahold of what she needed. Maybe this would all work out.

"At this point, I'll say it's okay for ya." Karen snickered. Her eyes weren't as cruel as her eyes, but Mary Beth bristled all the same.

"Don't know what you want her apology for, she's a murderer." Tilly snapped back.

"First off, it was an accident. Second off, your men killed at least five more men than me on purpose."

"She has a point." Karen said.

"Shut up." Tilly returned.

"S'not like any of us liked Micah anyway." Karen snorted.

"He was still one of us." Mary Beth finally spoke. With a soft return of "yeah" around the room the women once again fell silent, except for the chattering of teeth.

Twenty minutes later, auburn hair was pulled into a tight bun exposing Belle's plain but pretty face, and a slightly sun bleached yellow dress was on her body. A black belt around the smallest point accentuated the hourglass figure that the corset underneath produced. Belle was a bit surprised that the corset was merely snug and didn't hurt.

Once the flap of the tent was pulled back a familiar face was greeting her. This time; however, he was smiling warmly and offering a hand.

"You clean up nicely, Miss Graham." Dutch pulled her closer and gently pushed stray hairs from her throat.

"The absence of blood does wonders for the complexion." Belle spoke in a dry voice.

"Leopold is hoping you can pull this off. I would be lying if I said I was hoping you'd fail. We might be able to forgive your... accident if you were as valuable an asset as Mr. Strauss seems to think you are." His eyes softened alongside his tone. Belle didn't know how to respond to such sudden kindness. Her response was to fall into it. When he spun her around to look she just went along with it. He stopped her with a hand to her hip and gave another warm smile, "They did a good job."

Her inner voice yelled danger, but after an unnumbered amount of days alone and scared this sudden warmth had her finding security in it. Like a scared mouse she remained on guard but took the crumbs of kindness he offered. After all sometimes red flags look just like normal flags. Right then, safety sounded so damn good to her.

"Arthur will escort you to the late debtor's home. Once there I assume you know what you are looking for. When you return you'll sign the document Leopold holds. If this all ends in a proper return for us, I will allow you to move from your current place of rest into a tent. You still won't be able to leave." His hand dropped from her hip but he pulled her into a walk beside him with his other still clasped with her own.

"That's a winded way to say I'm still your prisoner. You're very careful with your words aren't you?" Belle asked finding a glint to his eyes.

"You killed one of mine. I'd say I'm real generous to even let you live." His hand tightened on her's. It didn't hurt, but it was a simple warning.

"It was-"

"An accident. So I've been told." Dutch pulled Belle to stop at the edge of the camp. Arthur stood next to John at the start of a tree line talking, "I consider myself a fair man. I'd say this chance is as fair as it can get, wouldn't you?" He let go of her hand and placed his into his pockets.

"Yes." Belle admitted. Anywhere else she would be put on trial for death, even her home.

"Go, I'll be waiting."

* * *

"So, you're a gang. Like rob, pillage, and destroy kind or the dysfunctional family kind?" Belle asked from the back of the wagon. Her hands were tied in rope and hidden under a blanket. John sat in the driver's seat while Arthur sat just in front of her using his outstretched legs to form a sort of barrier from herself and an escape. In his hands sat a rather rusty looking shotgun.

"Depends on the day." John teased from where he sat. He sat in a sort of slumped position with his free hand just hovering over his right side only to grasp at every so often as if in pain. The fresh scars on his face peaked Belle's interest but he avoided her question the last three times she asked.

"And that Dutch guy is your leader?" Belle asked scratching her face. Arthur reached over and pulled her hands down as a few men passed by. His finger rested on the trigger of his gun like a warning. Belle raised her eyebrow as if to ask if he thought she was stupid and sat back. His hand shook a little over hers. Was he scared? The thought struck her as odd. Men like this weren't ever scared... were they?

She looked over the horseback men. One looked at her intensely. Honey brown eyes narrowed a little. On his vest was a singular red stripe down the right side. Her fingers clutched Arthur's hand suddenly. Fear causing her to shiver. Even if he wasn't scared she sure was.

"You know them?" Arthur was surprisingly quiet. His voice had caught a tone that made John stiffen from where he sat.

"Not personally." Belle let go of Arthur's hand when the men pulled their horses around. The man smiled at her, a bright knowing smile. His eyes shifted to Arthur then to John taking them in. Then he turned around one more time and kept riding on. His little display placing Arthur and John on an even tighter edge.

"He knew you." Arthur mused letting go of her hands rather abruptly and sitting back into a relaxed position. His eyes; however, were anything but relaxed as he watched the figures until they were nothing but dots on the horizon.

"Personally, I only put on a show for complete strangers." Belle said grinding her teeth together.

"Do we need to be worried?" John asked grabbing at his side again.

"Not right now. He's going to report to our leader and they will decide what's going to be done." After she spoke the quiet that crept amongst the group was mind gnawing. Arthur's fingers crept up and down his gun in silent anticipation. John lowered his head and started to chew on his bottom lip.

"What's stopping us from going back there and turning you into him?" John asked suddenly, slowing the wagon, "We got people at camp that needs protecting. You already-"

"John!" Arthur yelled. His voice echoed around them. It really hit Belle at how alone they were. No one for miles in either direction, and the only ones who were close enough to possibly hear the sound of a gunshot were ones that wanted her dead anyway. She had to find a way to escape. A rat in a cage, she was just a rat in a cage. Her nails started in on the rope. She found that it was old enough to tear easily. One fiber at a time.

A tree went by her view... Rip. Three birds circled something deep in the grass... Rip. A wild dog barking in the distance... Rip. Arthur glanced at her hands then back up to her face... Rip.

"It's a death sentence. I screwed up, royally. Your man dying was an accident. Like I've said a hundred times before. The second I shot right through his skull I was signing my own death certificate." Belle said ending the silence so that she could continue to fuss with the rope.

"Look they will put me on trial and find me guilty. I will cease to exist. Every fiber of my being will be snuffed out completely. If your gang gets a wild hair up its ass you'll put a bullet through my skull. I'm already dead." Belle said trying not to grimace as a piece of the rope cut into her finger.

"Unless you can make a bit of money. Money always talks to Dutch." John said rubbing his face. Everyone fell back into silence. Except for the soft ripping noise covered up by the squeaking of the wagon wheels. Belle started to feel the burn of pain and the hotness as her nail started to pull away from her skin.

Normally she would stop but there was this raw fear in her chest. A primal sort of fear that one never experiences until they are staring down the barrel of their own death. She swallowed the terror into her chest and let it race down to her fingers. Each and every rip was slow and desperate.

"You know, I never really liked Micah." Arthur blurted out suddenly, "Kept buzzing in Dutch's ear."

"He was the reason we had to leave Blackwater. That Ferry job was a set up from the start!" John added pulling onto a smaller road.

"Should really be thanking you." Arthur watched the house grow closer. Belle pulled against the ropes and felt them fall from her wrists. Her eyes looked into the woods. She could pull the skirt away to expose black skin tight clothing that was meant for stealth. She could run and find her devices and try to work a way home. She could...

Arthur waved for her to come forward. He was standing off of the edge of the wagon. She came forward and placed her legs off the edge first. Green eyes locked onto the small blood stain that had covered some of the blankets.

"I could run right now." Belle whispered. The house's door slammed open. Boots drug on the wooden floor. She felt her bottom lip quiver in fear, but training kept her mind sharp, "I worked for powerful people. That makes me powerful too." She said trying to hype herself up.

"Run then." Arthur took a step back and waved to the woods behind him, "You won't and I'll tell you why. All you've talked about the last week was your own death. Not from us, but from your own. You run and you run from them and us."

"I'm a lot more resourceful than I look." Belle said. Grey eyes burning in passion. She felt proud of herself. That was until the reality of what he said sunk in. He was right. She could run far, but as long as she made a shockwave in the fabric of time they would find her like they did today. Her very being was trackable. The only way she could be safe was if she intertwined her fate with someone untouchable.

"I'm sure you are." Arthur said grabbing her hand to inspect her fingers. He was smarter than he let on. It was easy to pretend to be dumb in a world where brute strength was recognised.

"Can you promise me that they won't kill me." She asked watching his fingers trace the dried blood on her hand.

"Darlin' if you can pull shit like this money situation off, Dutch won't let nobody breath on you." Arthur let go of her wrist. His hands went into his pockets as he kicked the dust.

"Are you gonna run off or are you gonna stay? Cuz if I'm honest I'm not in the mood for a chase today." One of his fingers tapped the strap holding the shotgun to his back. Belle gave a half hearted chuckle.

* * *

_"Mmm, so when in doubt-"_

_"Marry the richest motherfucker you can find."_

_Belle placed a hand to her mouth to keep her food from flying while she laughed. A tan woman flashed a bright smile._

_"But seriously, power is protection. I don't see why you're going into Historical Travel. Do you know how many people just fucking disappear. I mean, God, Belle."_

_''Amber, please. Just drink the whiskey and shut up." Belle picked up the bottle and handed it to Amber. Amber's brown eyes filled up with tears._

_"You're so smart, Belle. Youre so good with documents. Find a politician and marry them. Work for a CEO, stay in space. Don't go back to Earth, please." Amber begged pushing the whisky aside._

_"You know it was green once." Belle looked from her window to the grey lifeless rock that they could see from their window. Scars of what used to be land and sea open under a red sky._

_"Of course I know it was green we all take his-"_

_"People lived down there. You could run for miles and miles. There was cities full of people and at night they looked up here and wondered what life held off of that planet. Who would have guessed we would have looked the other way." As Belle spoke Amber sat back down and poured herself a large glass of alcohol._

_"You're gonna die down there." Amber said and pushed the glass towards Belle._

_"We all gotta die someday."_


	3. Welcome to the West

The Train was an important invention. It shaped the world into a spider web of connections in a time when horses were the way to get around. It actually taught us how to travel through time. There was already rails, we just had to figure out how to ride them.

_Before another shot could be chambered the train came to a sudden halt throwing everyone in the cart forward. Silver flashed as the gun slid out of reach. Belle scrambled to grab it when a voice yelled out to them._

_"Listen to me, we don't want to kill any of ya... Any more of ya. I give you my word, but trust me... we will."_

_Belle looked up in fear, her mind racing over any other important events happening on this day, but it wasn't her territory. While her study was in the west, it was more of the early 2000's that she was knowledgeable about. Theodore Mandeza, her mentor, had miscalculated his geographical date and was 50 feet underground fuzed in limestone somewhere. If she were quick enough she could scan the documents and be home before anything else happened._

_"I work for Leviticus Cornwall!" One of the men shouted out. Belle grabbed her gun while the men were distracted by the newest intrusion and pulled the papers closer towards herself. She pressed the simple button on the side of her hidden watch_

_"Ohh, Come on, boys!" The first page was scanned, with shaky hands she quickly flipped to the second._

_"We got our orders!" Second page scanned and flipped. If she were paying more attention she would notice the footsteps behind her, "We ain't opening this door."_

_Pain laced the back of her head. The metallic scent of blood filled her nose as hot liquid trickled down her back. The man turned her on her back and reached for her gun. A loud gunshot sounded followed by metal against metal. It started like a gentle drizzle that turned into heavy rainfall of bullets and the mind numbing clanging of metal._

_A hand on her hand pulling. Pain and raw fear mixed into one. Even with a hazy mind she was able to pull the trigger. His body slumped onto hers pinning her against the ground in a way that kept her from pulling her legs away._

_"She shot Kreg!" Not a single person moved towards her when she flashed the revolver their way._

_"Stay over there you pompas fucks." Her free hand moved to touch her head. It was bloody under her fingers._

_"Uh, boss we have a bigger problem. They have dynamite and I think those fellas are..."_

_Stars... Stars and the sudden inability to hear. Belle dropped her already heavy head and tried to blink the black away. Vomit boiled in her chest and threatened to spill from her lips. A voice that seemed so far away called into the train. Men started leaving one by one. Bell felt her fear roll up her arm and clutch at her fingers. If she could just grab the dropped gun she could..._

* * *

"Wake up." Tillys soft cool fingers were a welcome change from the heat that wrapped around her. Belle found it easy to sleep in this utter heat when she was covered in the heavy, daming clothing of the time. History books had said heat used to get up into the triple digits until the second ice age, but it was harder to experience when exposure wasn't for a short amount of time.

Thankful for the sudden jolt, Belle sat up. While she wasn't chained to a pole anymore. Being constantly watched was slightly unnerving. However, being watched while laying out on a blanket in the middle of the green grass wasn't so bad. If it weren't for the damn heat.

"They back yet?" Belle asked rubbing her eyes harshly.

"No, you were whimpering in your sleep." Tilly's voice held the edge of concern. Not enough to be deemed comforting but just enough that it got Belle's attention. Tilly's cool fingers gently pulled across the sweat on Belle's brow before wiping her hand off on the blanket. 

"Just a nightmare." Belle admitted stretching her arms out. A little boy, whos name she learned was Jack, ran across the camp laughing. The large robust man named Peterson was scrambling after the boy swearing. Abigail looked up from where she was reading to bark out the young boy's name. Jack in response dropped whatever he had stolen but kept running with a laugh. Abigail had a small smile pulling at her lips. Tilly let out a soft laugh that was soon joined by a few more around the camp. Pretty soon Belle felt herself joining in.

Peterson gave a frown to nearly everyone and snatched the silver foil from the ground. More laughter came as people started to relay the story amongst one another.

"He's a fast little guy, isn't he?" Belle asked between laughs, "Reminds me of my brother."

Tilly stared at Belle for a few moments, opening her mouth as if to ask a question when the thundering sound of hooves arrived. Dutch was quick to stand and walk to the middle of camp, arms out and ready to greet Leopold, Arthur, and Hosea back to camp. Belle slowly stood feeling her stomach turn. Her nerves were making her tremble. Feet slowly finding a path towards the meeting men. There was a few seconds of hushed talk before Hosea nodded towards Arthur. Belle pulled at her skirts until she saw it.

The twinkle in the men's eyes. All of them holding an almost thirsty look as Leopold pulled a stack of cash from his pouch. Once the look faded their faces turned into happy smiles. Belle; however, felt her stomach fall. There was no good that was to come out of this. Originally she was a prisoner and easy prey for her own people. Now her every move was going to be under watch until she screwed up once and died by the hands of these outlaws. She almost wished for death. It would have been easier. Jack scrambled past Dutch and made the men laugh. Dutch looked to where she had stopped in the middle of walking towards him. He lifted a welcoming hand to her. In another life it would have felt like a warm welcome, but in this one it felt like a death sentence.

"There she is, we were just talking about you." Dutch already had his hand a bit lower on her back than she would have liked, and pulled her further into the huddle.

"Seems that's all anyone has been talking about since, uh... you know." Belle spoke with little confidence.

"Mmm, Hosea would you mind repeating what you just told me?" Dutch asked with a toothy smile. His redirection came with a slightly clenched hand at Belle's waist. A slight warning. She swallowed hard and met the sly eyes of Hosea. He seemed he would have been a kinder man had she not murdered one of his own.

"It seems you are very talented. They took the new contract you had signed and paid up." Hosea pulled on his nice vest with a slight smile. It felt forced. Belle took her chance at the distraction and stepped back from Dutch's grasp. Her eyes flitted to the way each man had their hands hovering over their guns. As intimidating as it was, it was growing tiresome.

"Including interest." Leopold exclaimed happily.

"What does this mean for me?" Belle crossed her arms over the borrowed corset. She silently cursed Mary Beth's small frame as it pinched her sides.

"Well, you stay alive for starters." Arthur commented earning an elbow from Hosea. He hissed in pain and rubbed the back of his head.

"I understand that part, thanks. I meant in the terms of here." Belle said trying not to be over sarcastic.

"I'd say we've been more than generous." Arthur crossed his own arms and licked the inside of his cheek.

"Oh sure, Letting me lay in my own filth for a week and then scrubbing me off when you wanted to use me." Belle took a step towards him out of anger. She noted his sudden shift. The way his hand flitted towards his gun before settling on his belt.

"You forgot something-" His other hand moved to point at her face.

"I killed Micah!" Belle yelled out of frustration. Her grey eyes filling up with water. Life halted around them. People started to stair, "I killed him. Two shots through his fucking skull. If my bosses weren't going to murder me you would have. I still don't understand why you didn't just kill me."

"You're a woman." Leopold suddenly intervene making Belle grit her teeth.

"Yeah, I'm a woman... I'm a woman with no home anymore. I fucked up." She turned around and went to return to Tilly. At least the woman was somewhat kind to her. Even if it was fake. It felt nice.

"You just gonna let her go, Dutch?" Arthur waved a hand towards the retreating woman.

"Oh, she ain't going nowhere son. We've got some things to plan. Round up the boys and meet me..."

Belle sat on the blanket and laid back. Tilly went back to her reading and found herself chewing her bottom lip in thought. Why did they keep her alive?

Tilly found herself being pulled away a few hours later by Hosea for a match of chess. The older man had Mary Beth replace the other woman much to Grimshaws displeasure. Mary Beth on the other hand simply enjoyed her semi private time and chose to sit under a tree across from where Belle lay. A book between her fingers and a tenseness between the two.

"Would you like some company?" John stopped in front of Belle and gave a half smile. Belle noticed how half of his face had a hard time holding his smile. The muscles weak from whatever trauma had caused the fresh scars on his face. She noted the weakness traveled down the entire right side of his body. Her eyes slid around the camp to find many winding down for the evening. Orange fading into the sky.

"I have some." Belle said pushing herself up into a sitting position. The prolonged laying had caused her hips and lower back to crack. John looked to where Mary Beth lay with her nose firmly planted into an old worn book.

"Not much company if ya ask me." John said. He rubbed his side slowly.

"I suppose I can go for a walk. I'm not a chained prisoner anymore. Might as well walk, right?" Bell moved into a stand.

"Well now, I dono-"

"Oh, I'm sorry I thought you had some say in this gang. Sorry, maybe you should ask one of the leaders." Belle bowed her head and watched John lick his teeth in thinly veiled anger, "Arthur is one isn't he, should I ask his permission?"

"No, as long as we stay near camp it should be fine." John pressed suddenly. Belle smiled softly and touched his arm gently.

"Lead the way."

Frogs had started to croak and lightning bugs danced in the night air. John let out a laugh as Belle finished extracting the spider's web off her trembling body. She made a face and turned around.

"Is there any in my hair?" Her question sounded a bit desperate. Her fingers pulling at the strands in a desperate attempt to find any lingering web.

"Hold still." John reached forward and raked his fingers down her neck and shoulders slowly and deliberately. With a shiver Belle lowered her head. The feeling of another human being touching her was surprisingly nice.

He lifted his hand and pulled some web off of her, "There." His other hand lingered. Foolhardy and egotistic are the traits of youth. Even when faced with temptation it was so easy to take a bite or as it were, run fingers across the collarbone of a woman that wasn't ones wife. After all it's so easy to convince yourself that it's just a little bite. No one would know if...

Belle closed her eyes and let his hands roam down to her hips. His stubble grating the back of her neck. She inched herself back just a step. His chest was like steel against her unmoving and strong. John was growing bolder. Lifting his right arm to touch her face. Opening himself to her just enough.

Belle opened her eyes and elbowed John hard in the side. His grunt gained a high pitched whine to it. If she had time to, Belle may have felt bad about it. Her fingers had dipped into the dirt long before he could catch his breath. She flung the dirt in her hand up and into his face.

"Give Dutch my regards." Belle hiked her skirts up and tore into the woods. Feet snapping twigs and crushing bugs. She waited for his yell or the sound of a bullet past her head but heard nothing but the sound of blood rushing in her ears. A smile curled on her lips as adrenalyn pumped into her body so thick it was nearly coming from her pores.

Someone started to chase her. At first she thought it was John, but whoever it was was being vigilant in their chase. Not letting her get to far away, but keeping a distance. The familiar buzz of electricity met her ears.

Her feet stung as she ran faster, blood running ice cold. A shot cracked out and whizzed past her head. It fizzled out of life as soon as the blue bolt didn't hit anything. It was perfect for capture. Forcing the body to come to a halt without killing just in case you missed and hit someone or something else. Perfect for leaving as little footprints in the sand as possible.

"Make the right choice Arabella!" A voice rang our followed by another shot into the darkness.

"No!' Belle screamed out in pure terror, "It wasn't my fault!"

Sticks cracked mercilessly under their feet. She could hear the rushing of water nearby, without another thought Belle grabbed the side of a tree and used the sudden shift of balance to propel her towards the sound of water. A silent prayer went to whoever would listen that it was a small river. If she could just get across in time.

Something grabbed her skirt and tugged her violently to the ground. A net flew past where her body had been. Fear cracked up her spine, but whatever had grabbed her pinned her down. A hand covered her mouth. Death raced across her mind. A breath washed over her neck, but the body didn't move or speak.

The whining of a horse and splashing in the river covered the sound of her ragged breath. 

"You can't fool us that easily, Arabella!" One man yelled then laughed. The fear in her chest turned into anger. He was laughing at her running for her life. He was laughing at _her_.

"Stay calm." The person above her was a man, voice so low it was almost easy to miss what he had said. She would have been more curious if it weren't for the sound of approaching feet. Her eyes closed and she braced for the inevitable. They grew closer and closer until...

It felt like years when the silent hit. Whoever had pinned her had left long ago. It was as if it were a spirit or guardian angel. She hadn't seen who it was since she was face down, and in truth she didn't want to. Someone was on her side and she didn't much care who it was at the moment. She just knew for certain that she needed to get moving and fast. There was only one decision to make at the moment.

Where should she go?


	4. Reality is Often Disappointing

Belle staggered once again, kicking dust into the air. Her body racked with the weak cough that followed. Days had gone by since she had started walking. The cold grits she had grown accustomed to almost seemed like a four star meal at this point. With a hand holding tightly onto the tattered skirts that drug on the ground she kept walking. Even if she weren't finding anywhere just yet, it was still a good sign as she hadn't been found by either the gang she escaped from or her own people who were still hunting for her. That meant the direction she was going in was the right one.

Her eyes dropped to the too small boots on her feet and the pain that had long gone numb. She wondered if there was many open sores on her skin, and the imaginary of boots filling with blood made its way into her head. The momentary distraction stopping her from feeling the hunger in her belly and introduced a memory to her.

_Shadows danced on the walls of the examination room. A large fan in the back of the room pushed fresh oxygen through, but the dimmed lighting made the room look eerie. The sound of the blades cutting through the air nearly muffled the sound of scribbling pencils. In the very center sat a young girl. Hair pulled into a tight bun, and eyes firmly planted on the page in front of her. There was a question she just couldn't figure out. The red numbers at the front of the room flashed once as it hit another minute down. The girl panicked and scribbled a half hearted answer. Just to her left a boy with black spiked hair eyed her answer and copied it word for word. The watcher at the front of the room noticed and perked up, eyes boring into the boy with an almost wicked smile._

"He saved my life that day." Belle said to the emptiness around her. Not that anyone would know what she was talking about, but it made her feel better to hear another voice. Even if it was just her own. "We were just kids, taking our first exam he was as scared as I was... as we all were. It was the first time there was a chance of us being placed. No one wanted to be placed first... no one."

_"Arabella Grahm, correct?" There were three adult figures masked by the crumble of memory. The long forgotten figures of the three warped them into creepy shadows of the past. They towered over the small girl in the seat in front of them. Her tiny body trembling in fear._

_"Yes." The girl bowed her head slightly and looked at the simple pink shoes she wore._

_"It has come to our attention that there has been a problem with your first test. Would you care to bring light to the situation for us?" A single hand emerged from the mass of shadow and pushed a paper forward. It was her test with a fat red F on the front._

_"I-I don't know..."_

"Of course I knew. I hadn't studied for it at all. I had spent too long covering for my mother. Pulling her shifts in the kitchens. A few women had known and hid me well while I chopped and pealed veggies. Many didn't care or didn't notice. My brother was illegal and my mother had to hide after he was born. He would have been killed and my parents condemned. No one breaks our law." Belle huffed as she pulled herself up around a fallen tree. In the distance a wolf howled, but she ignored it and kept walking. 

_"The boy that sat next to you during the tests, what was his name?" The third voice was the sweetest in the sickest way possible._

_"Gregory... Gregory Liam?" The girl questioned her answer as she didn't remember the last name at all. The guess was pulled from thin air._

_"Did you know this boy was cheating off of you during the test?" The shadow moved as one, leaning forward with leering smiles of jagged white teeth and overly round eyes. The girl stared at her shoes. Her mind working in ways she hadn't thought possible before. Survival clawing at the skills she knew how to use as a defense._

_"Yes I knew." The girl finally answered, "That's why I got the answers wrong."_

_"All of them?" The grim smile stretched into something absolutely otherworldly. A white snake among shadow faces._

_"How else was I supposed to weed out the weak..."_

"I was a liar and they knew it, but to lie in front of the elders? Not only was that stupid, but it was bold. Bold enough that they allowed me to lie. To lie was punishable under the law, but they were planning something. Something so big that it needed people like me, so they let me live and learn. I became bold and sneaky. They knew when I stole or lied, but the people around me didn't. They watched as I grew. They watched the seed they planted flourish... flourish I did. It wasn't my fault."

Belle knelt on the road and held onto her side. The cramp from walking so long had her breathing hard. She turned her head to look on the side of the road and how it ended in a sharp decline. Legs shook as the thought of losing control just enough to fall and break her neck overwhelmed her. Just a minute. She just needed a minute. Consumed with memories and the responding guilt, Belle didn't hear the incoming thundering of hooves, or the sudden yell from whoever was approaching.

_The girl had grown into a young teen. Her red hair was really taking on it's own personality. The wavy nature of her hair was a par under curly but too textured to be considered straight. Grey eyes taking on a slight silver sheen. Arabella was a plain sort but still beautiful. Almost like the middle ground. Pretty enough to draw attention, but plain enough that she was mostly left to her own devices. It was almost like it was the perfect place to be. She stood at the head of her class receiving a pin on the basic blue uniforms they were to wear. A Leader happily gave a long drawn out speech about how every position was just as important as the last, but it was all bullshit. Everyone wanted to be at the top. Everyone including Arabella. At the top she was. Her ability to lie and cheat was just enough to pull herself to the front of the pack._

_Gregory Liam, however,had taken a different path. Not of his own decisions of course, but of necessity. After he was first outed as a cheater his entire life had been flipped upside down. Everything had been planned from then on out. While everyone else was fighting over the best of the positions, he had been condemned to the back of the pack. His brown eyes stared out to the crowd and shifted to where his parents should have been. No parent wanted to watch their child being condemned, so he wasn't surprised they weren't there. With a soft sigh he lowered his eyes. When he heard her name being called, Gregory swore to tear Arabella in half if it were to kill him._

Maybe if Belle has walked a different path everything would be different. Maybe if she had been truthful it would have changed. She was so tired of it. Having to lie for so damn long. She didn’t want to do it anymore. It wasn’t who she was. Every day was a fight for survival, a fight for people who didn’t want her anymore because she turned out wrong.

Why did she turn out wrong in the first place? Why did she become this villain? Why did her entire life become the joke that it was? Why did she become such a failure? 

_A teenage Arabella leaned against the door frame separating her room from the living room and watched her mother sob into her hands. Her brother was curled at their mothers feet holding onto her skirt while their father kept shaking his head. The Force at the door had the singular red stripe on the right upper arm of their suits. Fingers on the triggers of their gun. A single Leader stepped forward with a smile on her face, "I'm so sorry to intrude, but it seems you know why we are here. Mr. Liam if you would."_

_A haggard looking Gregory stepped forward. In his teen years he already looked like an old man. Skin bruised and blistered from working in the innermost places of the station cleaning. He looked Arabella in her silver eyes with such anger that it boiled in his blood, "Yes Miss." He finally spoke in a hushed voice._

_"Please tell them what you told me."_

All she had wanted to do was create a new life for herself. She was tired of being what everyone else wanted her to be. They crafted her into a silver tongued devil. Gave her the skills to become the best liar she could. Turned her into something they couldn’t even look at all because they broke the law first.

She could have been in New York by now under a new name had everything not turned out so wrong. All she needed were the proper documents from Cornwall so she could have changed it to look like embezzlement so she could run off with the money. But the man on the train reacted like he wasn’t supposed to, Micah Belle came into the train a few minutes too early, and Dutch Van Der Linde wanted to keep her locked away.   
  
Belle could have started her new life. With enough money to take care of herself. Her ability to manipulate documents would have kept her safe in such a big city as New York. A changed name here, a forged ownership there. Her device showed her coming into Lemoyne and not New York so it would have been easy to keep her head down. So easy to get there, but reality is often times more disappointing than we'd like.

In reality a leather strap off of the wagon wrapped around Belle's leg and pulled her off the side of the cliff. In this reality and time Belle did get captured, she did pick the wrong way to go, and she was being pulled off of the edge of the cliff face. It was almost funny to her. Everything lead her here. She had run so hard for so long in an attempt to escape death and it still came for her in the end. When she hit the ground she barely felt anything except disappointment.

Her arm was bent at a sickening angle and blood trickled out of the back of her head as she lay in a daze and tried to escape to anywhere but here. It was almost funny really, so many people wanted her dead and here she was. Dieing just out of their reach. She lay there and laughed somewhere in some time she was escaping into a better life, but in this one she was dieing. Pulling the short straw for the final time.

Eyes growing heavy and closing in time to let the pain rest. Even for a few moments she was without pain. Death wasn't as scary as one would think when you were face to face with the inevitable. When you’ve lied you’re entire life it was easy to lie to yourself. So, Belle lay near death. Living in a small house in New York sipping on a cup of sweet tea in her mind, lieing to herself even in her dreams.

* * *

"No one has come near camp in days. The only tracks I see are our own and the one she left." Charles stood up from where he was knelt by the river, "There was three people following her. Once they reach the river I lose track of them. There are a few horse trails but they could be wild."

Dutch placed his hands in his pockets and narrowed his eyes, "Any chance you could pick up her trail further on?"

"I think so, might take us a few days though." Charles said solemnly.

"She did say there were people after her." Hosea said rubbing his chin thoughtfully, "I figured she was lying to us. Now I'm not so sure."

"There was someone who looked like they recognized her a few days ago, but we weren't sure." John said rubbing his side absentmindedly.

"Charles and Arthur you take Bill and find her. First Micah and now John. She's working for somebody who wants us gone. We need to find out who it is, bring her back alive." Dutch said clicking his tongue. The men looked between each other and nodded. Charles ran back to camp leaving the group of men to talk amongst each other. Dutch clasping his hands in anger. She was a threat to them. Eyes were on him, eyes that didn't need to be and that was infuriating.


	5. Eyes of Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the time it took, due to family issues I had been busy. I do plan on returning to once a week updates as soon as possible. Please enjoy.

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Promises and plans must be put into action, or else they are useless.

Belle pushed herself off of the tree with a loud grunt. Her legs trembling with every step. A fire burned in her chest. A scorching flame of anger. The inner urge of survival pushed her forward. For once she wished it would just die and let her do the same, but it was as if the urge itself was inching her further away from where she fell.

A path lay just in front of her. The closer she got the more she could see it was the road she had traveled on. Feelings of regret washed over her. If she had just stayed a few more days she could have known where a nearby town was. Her damn survival instinct was damaged from years of cushy living in space. Fighting for survival was more of a mental game instead of physical. The lack of 'street smarts' for the time was a true death sentence. Once again the anger boiled into her chest.

Towards the edge of the road her feet tangled with each other. A covered wagon was making its way to her. With what little strength she had, she lifted her hand as if that would stop the wheels.

* * *

Arthur smirked at the furrowed brow on Bill's face. The larger man was muttering after Charles had given him a good talking to. Bill had ended up walking over some very deep and clear foot marks in the dry, cracked dirt. It was sloppy enough now that the normally gentle tempered Charles was fuming.

"How was I supposed to know you meant that spot." Bill growled lowly in an attempt to save face.

"Stop your whining. Charles pointed it out long before you stepped in it." Arthur said watching Charles kneel and try to salvage what he could. His eyes trailed up into the brush to to try and find any broken sticks or lain grass, but the days had covered what little tracks she had left with those of wild animals.

"You can still find her trail, can't ya?" Bill asked crossing his burly arms over one another. A fea beads of sweat from the summer sun started forming around his beard and under his hat.

"It will take me a few minutes, but I have faith that I can." Charles moved towards where he thought the footprints had been pointed towards. Hands pressing through the grass to find anything.

"If you can't that's three days travel lost." Arthur pushed his hat back and looked into the trees. His feet were sore but he bit his tongue against complaining about it.

"On foot." Bill added with a bit of a grunt. The other two men groaned in agreement.

Charles reached into the brush and pulled a torn bit of fabric, "Arthur, Bill. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is part of the dress Mary Beth lent Belle."

Charles, with his new find, lead the other two men another mile through the brush and fallen trees until they reached a road.

"We're going to need horses." Bill said rubbing the sweat from his face.

"He's right. She went North and followed the road from here." Charles touched the footprints and noted how they drug, "She didn't last much longer, but I don't want to take that chance."

"How lucky for us!" Bill chimed suddenly pointing towards a dot in the distance.

"Sure." Arthur said in his drawl. With a look to the others he pulled his mask over his nose and drew his gun, "Bill you hide in those trees on the right, Charles you take those bushes to the left."

* * *

Belle was vaguely aware of someone lifting her into the air. Pain raced along her body even though the pair of hands were as gentle as clouds.

”She won’t make it. Not unless we do something.” The first voice was concerned and strong. He sounded like a kind man.

”I don’t know if we have time.” The second voice was rough on the ears. His voice was both low and rough at the same time.

”We make time. Set up camp and grab what you can.” Could it really be?

Belle fought to open her eyes. The man holding her was of dark skin. His kind eyes hidden under the lines of cruel years. She tried to fight for his name but found herself looking for the third voice.

When she saw him she had to bite back a sob. Happy or sad though, she wasn’t quite sure. Arthur stood with his back to her but she had spent enough time with his back to her to know what he looked like. Before she could do much more, sleep took her.

The next time she opened her eyes she was wrapped in heavy blankets. A cold sweat on her forehead and a fire next to her. It was hard to tell at first, but she could smell that it was definitely night. A body next to her stirred.

“If she makes it though the night we move.” It was Arthur again, but he was far enough away she couldn’t see him.

”Wouldn’t be too bad if she didn’t make it.” Bill replied in snarky tone. Belle wanted to be angry but she was just too tired.

The third time she opened her eyes she felt an arm around her waist. Even with the blankets and fire she felt so cold and weak. It was a strange cold, as if it was coming from inside of her chest and not from outside. His snore evokes a hidden thought inside of her. When she turned her head she could see the strangely peaceful face or Arthur deep in sleep.

Belle tried to sit up and felt the arm lock around her. Without opening his eyes the now alert Arthur let his stance known easily. His fingers dig into her hip bone almost angrily as if her waking him was the worst thing in the world. Across the fire a moving shadow drew her attention.

Charles was walking towards her holding wood. He gave her a kind smile full of pity.

”Arthur, it’s your watch.” Charles tone was gentle yet firm. A sigh came from behind her and she felt him leave making her back cold. Charles has replaced where the other cowboy had previously laid, but for some reason Belle still felt a little chilled. Her brain worked away at the locked memory when she fell back to sleep.

The fourth time she woke up was quite the change. Panic made her sit up fast as her world rocked side to side. The sound of clinking glass confused her almost as much as the swaying. Slowly her brain put the pieces together. The wagon continued to rock as she figured it out.

It was full of bottles, of what she didn’t know. What she did know was that she was still covered in blankets and there was a cover over the wagon hiding her from view.

Belle crawled to the edge of the wagon slowly. A large slab of wood kept her hidden and the cargo inside so it was easy for her to use it to push herself up into a kneel and look out.

The first thing she noticed was that her left shoulder was very sore and slightly loose. The second she noticed was the three horses gaining speed. The world was still fuzzy, and something in her veins screamed narcotic but she swore she could see the red lines signaling her police.

They had found her! The realization made her duck and cover herself completely with the blankets. Maybe they hadn’t seen her, maybe she had stepped on a butterfly somewhere else that made them look for her. Her hopes were dashed when she heard the first gunshot and the wagon pull to an abrupt stop.

“Easy now, we just want the wagon!”

”Just a simple robbery, you boys don’t want to lose your lives over this.”

Belle held back a sob. Whatever the gang members had put into her veins made her head swim. For a second she was in a dark room with people starring straight at her.

”Hey! I recognize this one! Dutch’s lap dog!”   
  
The yell and roaring laughter brought her back to the present. She remembered that she needed to lie still and remain quiet.

”Colm will love this.”   
  
Colm? She didn’t recognize the name, but she saw an image of a very pissed off guard with a gun pointed at her face. Or possibly with the needle holding her lethal injection to kill her. Either way, he was clearly the head guard that was sent to find her. Paranoid thoughts crawled up her spine.

”Oh shit, we don’t need the other two right?!”  
  
“Think that one has a bounty on him, but not the Indian.”

”You got a bounty boy!?”

More snickering laughter made Belle fall into a rabbit hole. The dark room swallowed her. She was dressed in ballet attire. Belle has always wanted to take it but the arts was considered lesser work. It was always so beautiful to her.

In her body, Belle slowly made a calculated crawl towards the opening of the wagon. The instinct and muscle memory of training bypassing her need to stay still. However, in her mind Belle was standing in front of hundreds of people. Arms out in front of her in preparation for her dance.

_Heart racing, heart thrumming, one, two, three, Avant._

Her fingers wrapped around the bottle nearest to her. Extra care taken in quiet movement. She could just see Arthur, Charles, and Bill kneeling with their hands on the back of their heads. Of the three it was Arthur who was looking through the men standing with their backs to her. His eyes met hers. Encouraging her. Pushing her, praising her even. She pulled the bottle from its place in the crate as slowly as she could.

_Control. The dance was all about control. The spinning of muscles and tautness of tendons. The crowd was all hushed. Strings rose and fell in intensity. The instructor watched her with deep brown eyes. Encouraging her, Pushing her..._

The heavy bottle sloshed its liquid when she tilted it. It was slow enough that the men didn't hear her. They laughed amongst themselves. Red bandanas waving in the wind.

_It was just a dance, but it felt like a trial. Once again all eyes on her. But those eyes...._

When the bottle met the mans head Belle felt a sudden jolt up her arm. The bottom of the heavy bottle sunk into the mans head just a little followed by a sickening crunch and sudden sharp grunt. It was caught off right as his knees buckled.

Charles and Bill took the cue and ran at the men in their ways. Heads down, arms locked. The men knocked the air out of their enemies easily. They turned from prisoners to killers so easily it made Belle's head spin.

_When the song finally ended it felt silent. Not a peaceful silent, but the kind that gnawed on your bones and left an unnerving ringing in your ears. The silent crowd stood one by one, shadows, villains, and enemies. They ran at her to swallow her. But those eyes..._

Someone grabbed her shoulders causing her to violently thrash, pulling her broken arm into a painful position. Hands grabbed her so hard they nearly hurt. Fear and pain caused her to rear forward and bash the person in the face as hard as she could with her head.

"Goddamnit, calm down!"

_They were her own eyes. The instructor stepped forward from the shadows and into the light to shave off of the old appearance and expose Belle to herself. She was dressed in her uniform. Cold calculated eyes. A feeling of invulnerability inside of her._

_"Remember who you are."_

"Goddamnit Belle, stop it!" Arthur pushed Belle roughly onto her back. The wagon bucked as he jumped into the back to hold her down. Blood streamed from his busted lips onto her cheek. His breath cut roughly in her ears. Body pinning her down in a way that made her spine ache.

"I killed a man." She whispered staring up, "I killed a man on purpose."

"I know." Arthur huffed.

"No, I killed him on purpose." Belle said louder. He grew still and met her eyes directly. There was the sound of struggling outside. One gunshot rang followed by loud cursing.

"I know. Stay down." Arthur stood up and pulled out his gun. The wagon once again shifted as he pulled himself out of it. Three loud gunshots rang out in quick succession. A sound similar to a bubbling brook covered what would have been silence. It could have been peaceful, but Belle knew. She knew that it was a stream but not of fresh water.

"I just can't get rid of you." Belle closed her eyes and lay back in the wagon. 

"Guess you can't." Arthur said wiping the droplets of blood rolling down his upper lip. He looked over his shoulder to where Charles was dutifully keeping an eye on their surroundings, and lastly to where Bill was pulling the bodies off of the road.

"Is he gonna kill me?" Belle asked.

"I don't think so, just rest. We got a while to go and Charles said you ain't in the best shape." Arthur kicked some of the red dirt over until it turned a dark brown. Anyone riding through would never notice it at all.

Belle mulled over her fate and smiled grimly. She supposed there was worse places to be.

_"He threatens everything we are."_

_"I can't do it, he's my teacher!"_

_"You forget something, You are a killer Arabella. You are OUR killer."_


	6. Welcome Back

_An elderly black man stood at the edge of a forest. Grey hair shaved save for the soul patch on his chin. There was a deep wisdom hidden in his hazel eyes. A sign of strength in the way he stood. The only true betrayal of his age was the cane that he leaned heavily on. Many years had taken its toll on his body. The sun stayed suspended in the perfect twilight, bathing the fertile land around him in orange._

_"You're alive?" A woman stepped from the brush behind the man. Her eyes filling with water_

_"Am I? Or are you dead." A playful grin spread on the man's lips. A heavy english accent peppered his words._

_"Theodore. Your calculations were wrong. You ended up 60 feet underground encased in rock!" The woman started to grab at the man as if angry, but wrapped her arms around him instead. He smelled like the leather jackets he loved to wear._

_"Must be a dream then." He said in a comforting way. They stood in silence for a few moments._

_"I'm in trouble." Belle said suddenly._

_"Aren't you always?"  
_

_"Bad trouble this time, Theodore. I might die." Bell wrapped her arms around her shoulders, "I screwed up. They sent me in and I didn't react in time. He-"_

_"They thrive on power, the gang you are with. People like to make these lavash speeches about loyalty and faith. But they respect power." Theodore said. As if to make a point he stamped his cane._

_"I know I miss you and all, but can you speak clearly for once?" Belle's furrowed brows came up in slight annoyance when she spoke._

_"No." Mirth sparkled in the mans eyes. A light hearted chuckle came from his chest._

_"Okay, fine. So, power. Am I supposed to just brawl everyone?" Belle crossed her arms and looked across the vast land._

_"You could, or you could use your mind. You were trained to use what you have to your advantage. You are a smart, cunning woman. Power doesn't just come from strength." He paused and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. His face twisted and hand grabbed her shoulder cruelty, "You need to wake up now... Remember this is life and death. Sometimes you'll need to...."_

* * *

"Hey now. S'alright." Warm hands stopped her from rising too quickly. With a swimming head Belle looked at Arthur. Her mind piecing broken key to the locked memory together. Right as she pulled a voice into focus it was dashed when he pulled her to a stand.

"I was scared." Belle started to talk as he wrapped a rope around her wrists. It wasn't tight in the slightest. For a second she focused on the scab forming on his upper lip. A headache threatened to rise at the memory of bone hitting teeth.

"You saved us." The sudden voice of Charles made Belle jump. He stood at the end of the wagon, readying himself to help her off.

"We were there because of her in the first place." Bill spit out.

"That's a weird way of saying, Thank You." Belle threw out sarcastically. Bill scowled at her for a moment and threw a hand out as if dismissing her.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks." He grumbled. A sound of approaching people made Belle freeze.

"You're gonna kill me... He's gonna kill me." Belle fought Arthur's grip and attempted to pull her wrists out of the rope. His hands went up in a peaceful gesture. The sudden trust from him made her stop for long enough that he gripped the rope and pulled it tighter, "You didn't go for your gun."

"Come on." Arthur said ignoring her words. He helped you lift the tattered skirts in a modest enough way, but still looked away. He had killed men at least a day or so previously yet here he was turning his head for the sake of modesty. The strangeness wasn't lost on her.

"Easy now." Charles was a little gentler with putting Belle onto her feet.

"Just throw her out." Bill snorted, "We got her here in one piece."

"Would you shut it?" Arthur sighed, "A full week of you complaining has me ready to shoot you." Belle watched as Bill once again quieted down. The wheels in her mind started turning.

"Come on. I'm sure Dutch is waiting." Charles pushed Belle forward. She stumbled a step before catching herself on weary legs. Her lack of energy was apparent. Weakness still raced through her. The trees gave way to the camp that previously was her prison. A feeling of doom settled in her abdomen, but a steady hand pushed her forward. Belle wanted to shrink into herself as eyes followed her. Abigail's glare was most piercing of all. It kept her attention long enough that she didn't when John stepped into her way and knocked the wind out of her.

"Doesn't feel good, does it?" John hissed watching Belle fall to her knees. His fist was still clenched in anger when Arthur stepped forward and pushed him on his ass.

"Goddamnit, John." Arthur pulled his chest up and squared his shoulders. John glared up at Arthur but didn't attempt to move. Two hands went under Belle's arms pulling her back to her feet. Her breath came in shallow grunts. The pain was almost enough to make her vomit.

"No I deserved it." She grunted trying to right herself. Red raced up her neck and face of embarrassment as the camp continued to just stair. This was their domain and she was an enemy in it. The hand on her back returned. It felt as if she were in a small room and the walls were just closing in on her. When she finally met the eyes of Dutch it almost made her relax.

He held a relaxed posture at the opening of his tent. A near smile playing at his lips and sparkle in his eyes. He was not as hostile as the others, but there was just something behind him. A shadow of threat. Of course he would be relaxed. Everyone in this place would kill her in a second for him.

"We got her for ya, Dutch!" Bill came into view suddenly making Belle shrink against the hand on her back. The puppy dog routine he provided was almost funny to her.

"You sure did. Good job, fellas." Dutch took a step back and waved a hand into his tent. A small bit of her felt relieved that she would have shelter from the eyes.

Bill shoved his way inside first in a rushed way while Charles pushed her forward again to enter the tent. He motioned towards a small wooden chair and she sat clasping her hands together around the rope. Arthur entered last and the tent flap dropped as Dutch finally stepped onto the wooden pallet that served as the floor to his tent. Belle held in the tears of fear that threatened to fall, and grasped onto the strength inside of her. An almost emotionless state filled her. So when Dutch put a finger to her chin and lifted her eyes she met his in an almost defiant way.

"Before we start I want ya to know something." Arthur crossed his arms as he spoke.

"Just a minute, son." Dutch lifted a hand to silence Arthur. The way the older man could make such a killer quiet down again forced Belle to really look at the situation.

"Who are you working for?" Dutch asked kneeling to come eye to eye with Belle. His hands moving over his belt. There was a show in the way he moved. He was almost gentle yet aggressive. If she wasn't trained to watch someone she would have just assumed he was trying to understand her.

"I was working for a group of time travelers to gather information of the past without affecting it. Usually there is more training for a time, but we were desperate. I needed information on the company so we could..." The smack was audible through the entire tent. Charles and Arthur jumped while Bill gave a slight grunt. All three men had an almost disapproving look in their eyes.

"You're riding my last nerve, missy." Dutch's tone was warming her. Belle took in a deep breath and turned to meet his eyes, "Now, I don't like liars and I'm just about done with you, this is not a time for fairy tales. Bill, hand me my gun-"

"A gang!" Belle yelled. It surprised herself at how loud she actually was. Outside someone dropped glass and the shattering sound echoed around them. The men in the tent grew agitated.

"What gang." Dutch held his words longer than he needed to.

”The Travelers. They were up north almost California.” Belle hung her head, “I was just trying to escape. They turned against the people. They were turning us against our families...”

”Must have been a rather large gang.” Hosea spoke alerting Belle to his presence. He watched the tears well up in her eyes when she found him standing in the shadows of the tent.

“They were lying to us. Forcing us to believe these lies, turning into more of a Cult than a Civilization. Those in power got greedy and just wanted more. I was found to have a skill when I was little. A skill they liked. So, they threatened my family. Not that it mattered, once I was adopted into the gangs higher ranks they refused to call me their daughter.” Belle put her head back and tried to forget the cries of her mother as her father threw clothes out the front door.

”I knew Cornwall had money. That there was his signature on that train. All I had to do was secure that signature. The men on the train were more than I could have imagined. I shot because I thought it was one of them returning. I couldn’t hear, I was hurt and I was so scared. So fucking scared. I just wanted to be free. Free and safe.. just... safe...” The tent grew silent. The men looked between each other as Belle’s speech trailed into soft sobs.

”Throw her out of camp.” Dutch stood up. His demeanor was still aggressive but less so. Brown eyes held a bit of pity in them.

”She won’t survive-“ Charles started.

”Now Dutch think about this.” Hosea stepped forward.

”She saved our lives against the O”Driscoll, Dutch.” Arthur said shutting everyone else up. The air grew a bit heavy, “Coulda let us die, but she didn’t. As beaten as she was she took one of them down.”

”Distracted the other two long enough we could escape.” Charles joined in. His hands open and palms up in an almost begging manner.

”We could start fresh here, Dutch. Think about it. She can forge documents, rather well.” Hosea spoke again. He placed a hand on her shoulder, “It was a mistake, a stupid mistake. But let’s be honest here, Micah wasn’t the brightest-“

”Micah was one of us.” Dutch interrupted, “Like him or not he was one of US.”

”If you throw me out you might as well put a bullet between my eyes.” Belle choked back her cries and once again felt the unnerving feeling of calm wash over her.

Dutch looked angry. His face contorting into many emotions. He looked between Hosea and Arthur before laying his eyes on her, “You act right and we treat you like family. One time. That’s all it will take. Take her to Grimshaw to find out what to do with her as far as living situations. I don’t want her in my sight right now.”


	7. Two Places and Ink Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try and make these chapters a little longer as we get into the meat of the story. Please enjoy.

Most of camp had settled down for the night. A half moon providing enough natural light that it made everything look ghostly. Towards the middle of camp sat Belle. Hunched and tired over a stack of papers. Her eyes grew heavy and her hand cramped, but she worked on. Strauss was across from her, head lain onto the heavy wooden table and a snore on his lips. It had been nearly three months since she had joined the camp. Summer had turned to fall, and most of the gang members had warmed up to her. Except for John. Though she couldn't really blame him. She had reopened a few wounds and prolonged his healing time.

It was both nerve wracking and calming to be in the camp. Her own people knew she was there, no doubt about it. There were a few times she even thought she heard them outside of her tent, but even they had rules they needed to follow. They could sneak into camp as many times they wanted, but if they stepped on a single butterfly as she had done they would be in the same boat. Fear... fear kept them in line. They had families that still loved them, things that could be tortured in front of them. They couldn't just storm the camp as there were guards at all hours, nor could they drag her out of the tent as she shared it with Karen, Mary Beth, and Tilly. Most of the time she was watched. As much trust she had gained, Micah Bell was still 6 feet under thanks to her. In a weird way it kept her safe.

"Coffee?" Mary Beth's voice was gentle as she set the tin cup in her hand down. It broke Belle's train of thought and brought her back to the present. A document lay under her fingers. Well, a forged version. The original lay above. It was hard to copy a printed script, but not impossible. 

"Uh, thanks." Belle replied biting back a yawn trying not to step on the slight olive branch though she hated coffee. Mary Beth looked a little rough. She had woken to the sound of wolves nearby and the high yell of Charles scaring them off. She had a sweet temperament, Belle had to admit that, but there was still the sting of betrayal. Though that seemed a little ironic. 

"Still working on deeds?" Mary Beth asked softly.

"Yeah, Dutch wants 'em done by tomorrow. I would have been done but Javier and Bill stumbled on two more abandoned cabins up in the mountains past Valentine." Belle stretched her tired fingers with a low groan.

"How is this supposed to work. Nearly five houses on land that's _abandoned._ What if there is other deeds floating around." Mary Beth asked taking a seat next to Belle. Her hands touched a few of the pages. She couldn't which was the original.

"Every one of them will be under a different alias. I've already made the identifications if they need them, but let's be honest it's 1899." Belle let out a low chuckle only to stop when Mary Beth gave her a strange look, "Uh, anyway. A few of the men will go... Ah I wasn't really paying attention. I think they are gonna have some of yall go when the men to have a family appearance... Uh... I'm so wore out."

"You should go on, Mary Beth. Let Ms. Graham get those finished." The women turned to see a tired Arthur walking back. He was covered in sweat and dirt, deep blue craters under his eyes. Belle found herself watching him a bit more closely than she should. Spurs let out soft jingles as he walked. Mary Beth preened herself and sat straighter making Belle feel a small bit of anger inside of her.

"Goodnight, Arthur." Mary Beth gave with a soothing voice. Arthur simply nodded and took Mary Beth's seat with a loud grunt. His fingers wrapping around the coffee and bringing it towards himself.

"Oh, that was for Belle." Mary Beth said suddenly.

"She don't like coffee." Arthur grumbled taking a nice long swig. Mary Beth's eyebrows rose but she left towards the shared women's tent.

"Do you have the, uh..." Belle reached up as Arthur slipped a paper into her hands, "Thanks."

"You are lucky there was a lock box under all that rotten wood." Arthur groaned, "Do you know there's bears up there?" He sat back and pulled a bottle from the thick satchel handing off of his shoulder. With a slight laugh he poured a strong smelling alcohol into the cup.

"That bad?" Belle asked un folding the paper. She was relieved to see that he found the old deed. The signature at the bottom was faded. Not that it mattered much. She held it up to the candle flame and could see where the ink path was going. It would take even longer but it would work.

"Nah, he was cuddly as a kitten!" Arthur teased making Belle throw a glare at him. He chuckled earning a swipe on the arm, "Careful now." He snickered as Belle scrambled to pull the pages away from the spilt liquor.

"Ass." Belle spit out harshly.

"Murderer." Arthur said raising the cup to his lips. Belle raked a heavy hand across her tired eyes and went back to work. They sat in near silence. A tired Arthur watching Belle work. Her lips pinched in concentration, and steel grey eyes narrowed in strain. He noted how often she pulled her hand back to shake the cramps and pain from her fingers.

"Don't you have something to do. Like guard duty or sleep... you know, like a normal person?" Her eyes didn't move from the page as she created a fake signature based off of Hosea's handwriting at the bottom of the page.

"Not really. I'm staying in camp tomorrow." Arthur put his boots on the table a little gentler than normal while Belle brought a small hand fan out and started waving it over the ink.

"Mmm, that's right I don't have a sample of your writing." Belle mushed pushing his boots away from her. He brought the cup to his lips with a grunt, "You know, you're getting pretty good at finding these, considering this ain't the normal thing you do." She said stacking the paper on top of the others.

"I would say it's easier than robbing a train, but the bear." He said before slurping the rest of his liquor and lighting a cigarette.

"Oh yeah, the bear. So, what happened with the bear?" Belle asked resting her head on her hands. She just needed a few moments.

"Well, I was coming up the road and my horse starts acting real spooked. So I start calming her down and next thing I know...."

_"Just hold on sweetheart."_

_That voice, she was trying to pin it._

_"You fell a long ways. Messed up your arm and smashed your head pretty good."_

_She was trying to move but nothing worked. She couldn't even lift her arm._

_"Here, use this."_

_A female voice, it was close, but far enough away that it sounded like it was coming through the water._

_"What is it gonna do?"_

_"It will take most of the pain away."_

_Her eyes opened slowly as the weight was lifted._

_"That's it. C'mon girl, look at me."_

_The man's face came into focus slowly. Her hands slowly lifted as she reached for him. A smile came over his lips, worry in his eyes. Her lips started moving as his name rolled over her tongue._

**Arthur**

Belle sat up suddenly in the warm tent. Her body still exhausted and eyes trying their hardest to close back. A wild mind kept her awake enough that eventually she gave up and sat up. All the women were gone and the flaps of the tent held open by rope but close enough to save a bit of modesty. Not that she needed it. A long black skirt and button down red shirt kept everything but her neck and hands covered. Even so, she closed one side as she used a small basin with cold water to wipe off her face and straighten her hair. She tried to pull her dream back to focus but she couldn't. She could only see his face. It was normal, wasn't it? They saved her life, but why was it only him. Once again it was like there was a lock on her mind frustrating her to no end.

After she put powder in her and brushed it to soak all of the grease she couldn't even remember whose face she had seen. Auburn hair sat in a low pony allowing fly aways to frame her face. Her chest squeezed painfully as she tried to remember, but once again there was nothing popping up in her mind. It was all forgotten when she stepped out of the tent and felt the slap of cool fall air against her face. All she could think about was the smell of whatever was in the pot.

Camp looked a little empty. Molly sat in Dutch's tent alone reading while Tilly set a domino piece down making Arthur laugh. Uncle and the Reverend were waiting at the pot bickering together while Javier watched from his guard post. Off in the distance Abigail sat reading with a napping Jack curled in her skirts. The quiet woman named Sadie stood by Peterson adding bits and pieces to the pot as he stirred. If she just sat here long enough it almost felt like a family.

"About time you woke up. How about you actually do something." John said with a slight hiss as he walked by.

"How about you fuck off." Belle shot back with an aggressive bob to her head. John took a step towards her while Bill let out a roar of a laugh somewhere nearby.

"Lay off her, John! " Bill finally yelled. John scowled at Bill and just waved a hand at Belle before walking towards Abigail.

"Hey John!" Belle yelled catching his attention, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Yeah." He muttered and continued on his walk.

"Aye, Belle. Come help me with this feed." Bill shook the bag as if to emphasize his point.

"Yeah, sure." She said watching John walk away with a flicker of sadness.

"Dutch said they'll be able to clear a few hundred each deed today if they do it right." Bill said with a large smile, "All that money from just writing."

"Psh, I wish. Look at my fingers." She said pushing her hands out for him to see the bruises from where she gripped the pen.

"Oh wow." He said sarcastically with a roll of his eyes.

"No seriously, think I'll need a doctor, what do you think?" She said giving a fake whimper and shook her hand.

"I think you need to start throwing out some of this feed." Bill said. It was a strange friendship. Belle wasn't quite sure how to feel about it at first. He was the one most eager to throw her to the wolves, but their back and forth was kind of fun. He was a little quicker to anger than Arthur if she pushed too hard. Bill still proved to be kind in his own way. Almost like having a Grizzly Bear as a pet. You know you're bound to get bit. At times it's the best thing in the world. There was a certain safety about being around him. He wasn't a con man like most of the rest of the gang. He wore his heart on his sleeve. Even though he could probably crush her skull with his hands if he wanted to, she felt safe around him.

"You think John's ever gonna forgive me?" Belle asked throwing a handful of feed to the chickens. One nearby flapped its wings and squawked in a startled motion.

"Maybe, how about you worry about the jobs. You were a part of it, you get a cut." Bill pointed out with a slight smile.

"Wait, really?" Her eyes light up at the thought of having a bit of money in her pockets.

"Half goes to the camp then the rest gets split between everyone else." Bill said. Belle looked out towards the tree and started to think about maybe buying some pants when she saw him. For a second he smiled and darted behind a tree. She suddenly grew very conscious about being so far in the outskirts of the camp. Her heart started to hammer in her chest.

"Bill, get out your gun." Belle whispered watching the tree. They could possibly tranq him, and her screams wouldn't alert the others in time.

"Why?" He looked up at her face ready for a retort until he saw the fear in her eyes. There was something that snapped in him. Something she had only seen once before at the wagon. A shift in the eyes, just the tiniest of glints. The gun at his belt was already pointed at the tree without another word. His hand reaching around to push her back behind him a few steps, "Who's out there?"

A low bark followed by two growls sounded. Wolves ran away from the treeline growling out in frustration. Small animals started bounding for hiding places as the chickens squaked and ran deeper into camp.

"Damn things." Bill growled out putting his pistol away. He shifted to stand and crack his back.

"Maybe the money from the job will help us build a coop for 'em?" Belle suggested, watching the treeline heavily. Hopefully she had just imagined it. The sinking feeling in her stomach turned into a slight nagging. However, there was something in the air. Easy to miss if you weren't looking or feeling for it. Every piece of hair stood on end. Her fingers ran over the goosebumps on her arms. Tongue wrapping around in her mouth against the sudden zap of energy in the sky. Slowly everyone in camp was making the same motions.

Hands running against the back of their head or down their arms to smooth raising hair. Some made the mention of a quick chill. The odd saying was thrown around with a slight laugh. Everyone soon settled back into what they were doing, the sudden fluctuation forgotten. There was a sudden crack of lightning in the sky. Far enough away to be deemed an oncoming storm. Belle took a breath in through her nose and tried her hardest to relax back into the give and take with Bill. He was more than happy to relapse into it while Belle found it hard to grow into. She noted he took a gentler approach to their banter before dropping it completely.

It was late into the night when Belle was finally alone again. Well, as alone as she could be. Even though Hosea and Sean had returned to camp earlier that day. Mary Beth and Dutch hadn't returned yet much to Molly's displeasure.

Since Mary Beth wasn't in camp to try and make friends and the only person she knew was awake was John, sitting guard over the sleeping. The small scout fire crackled in front of her. Far enough away in camp that it was almost an invitation for someone to bother her. It was only a matter of time until someone did. Belle sat on the log with a cigarette between her lips. It was disgusting and made her lungs hurt, but helped calm her nerves just enough that she continued to sit and wait. John made another round close to her. His blue eyes were closing slightly in a tired manner. The days activities getting to him. Wouldn't be long until he passed out for an hour or two at the entrance of camp. He had that dad like super power of falling asleep anywhere before anyone realized it. Most nights it gave her a heart attack, but tonight she just sat and waited.

When the cigarette finally died and the fire grew so low that even her eyes started to drop they finally came. Two people slowly creeping in from the shadows. Black uniforms letting them blend with the shadows, but also creating a dreaded feeling in the pit of her gut. They even wore masks so high that only their eyes were visible. On the right shoulder was a singular red stripe down to just under the breast. Most people wouldn't care about it, but it might as well have been like a current day sheriff pulling out their badges.

"So kind of you to meet with us." A female voice came from behind a black mask. Her sarcasm was palpable.

"You know you could have taken me in at any time." Belle looked over to where John was slumped against a tree. Most of camp was alight with snoring.

"There are rules in place, Arabella. The watchers make sure we all stay in line." A male voice came from the left shadow, "You've already created a new timeline."

"A second chance for the world?" Belle attempted to press. The shadows sighed together. The in sync natures of the Seekers reminded her of home. There was a small bit of her that missed her own time. Stupid things like a hot shower, or no bugs due to the desolation of the world. The thought of ash grounds and dead trees made her run her fingers through the grass. Maybe trading hot showers for a lush world wasn't so bad.

"No." The woman chided her, "You've derailed the path of this gang."

"It used to be a famous story. The fall of this gang used to be told as bedtime stories and history lessons, and you've killed the pillar that ruins it." The man sighed as if talking to a child.

"So, I have to die?" Belle asked in a flat tone. She watched as the two slowly advanced onto her. They were still far enough into camp that she had the upper hand. That was one good thing about working where she had. She knew what to look out for.

"No." The woman shook her head.

"But the rules are-"

"The Leaders want you home, alive." The man said with a flick of his wrist. A blue light flashed on making Belle's heart race. She put a hand behind her and wrapped her fingers around the hard cold metal.

"They requested we get you out as cleanly as possible. After everything you've caused I'm surprised you gave up this easily." The woman flicked her wrist as well.

"Who said I was giving up?" Before the others could respond, Belle pulled the gun out from behind her and shot the man in his chest. The woman let out a sharp yell and ran into the woods.

People started shouting and the sound of cocking guns rose from around. The alarm around camp gave her a short amount of time. With a small knife Belle cut the watch like contraption from the mans wrist. He grabbed her hand in a harsh grip and made sure her grey eyes met his dark brown ones.

"Don't do this." He hissed.

"I'm not going back." Belle whispered back shoving the watch into one of the skirts secret pockets. She pulled the mask off the mans face and felt all of her pent up anger fall away into shock.

"What the hell is going on?!" Hosea appeared holding a lamp into the air. Belle's, now shaking, fingers still over the dying mans face.

"Someone fell asleep on his post, that's what is going on!" Arthur growled out from where he stood.

"You do it then!" John yelled.

"I do a better job than you!" Arthur spit back.

"Are you okay? Is any of that blood yours?" Hosea knelt next to where Belle had the man pinned. The man looked around in a mixture of fear and anger.

"No... Uh. No it's not my blood. I drew on him first." Belle let the knife drop from her hand and join the gun on the ground. The man still didn't move. His eyes flickered to the many barrels of guns staring him in the face.

“No, Sarah!” The man yelled before a sudden force hit Bill. He had stepped in front of Belle for a moment to see the dying man. He flew back against Hosea as blood poured out of his shoulder. Belle couldn’t help but notice that the bullet had made the skin look like ground beef. Bile collected in her throat.

“No wait!” Arthur reached for Belle and gripped air. He had seen her pick up the gun and dash into the forest.

“I’m going after her, keep look out for more!” Arthur yelled over his shoulder. He dashed into the dark woods in his long johns. Hair a mess and hun belt barely secure. One lamp in the air with a revolver in the other. He looked like a crazy man running after ghosts.

It wasn’t long that he lost her in the woods. The flicking of her loose auburn hair long gone into the shadows of the world. He could still hear running, but a slight fear had him spinning in circles, gun cocked, and finger poised to shoot. Shadows danced in and out of the woods. A whisper in his ears. He could hear his own voice circle him. Somewhere to the west he could hear a scream while in the East there was laughter. Something was very very wrong. He held his head in his hands as best as he could and tried to push the demons from his mind.

”What the hell?” Arthur squinted into the darkness and saw himself. Hair shorter and beard trimmed to a stubble. The other Arthur threw his head back and laughed. He felt something in his chest. A protective instinct rising to the forefront and split into two places.

The air tasted wrong here. The ground too soft and firm at the same time. Like rubber bending underfoot but morphing to ones legs. Arthur lurched forward and vomited as a bout of nausea hit him. Confusion and sickness clouded his mind. Arthur lifted his gun and shot at himself. The clone disappeared into grey mist, his own laugh taunting from the dark.

”Arthur!!” The yell sounded so far away and close at the same time. It was as if there were ten different women of varying distances yelling his name. Another version of himself stepped out from behind a tree. He looked haggard and mean. Anger lifted in Arthur’s chest and split like a log into two places. A scowl on his face and spite in his eyes. Arthur once again shot at his clone, this one disappeared in a right of fire.

”Arthur??” Her voice suffocated him to the point he wanted to wrap his fingers around her throat and silence it. Arthur tried to start walking. His feet falling through the world and his body hitting the ground. Boots stopped short of his head. Kind eyes and a clean shaven face mirrored his. A smile and an offered hand. His heart hurt as it exploded with need and hope. Arthur shot the clone and he disappeared in a shower of gold.

“Arthur... Arthur... Arthur.” He covered his ears and shut his eyes. Demons swarmed around him laughing, screaming, and talking. It was growing too damn loud. His ears popped painfully in his head. Teeth gritting together so hard they might crack. It was becoming so utterly unbearable.

”Arthur.” Silence followed her voice. Arthur opened his eyes to see shock and horror on her face. Hands wrapping around her abdomen. Blood pouring out of the jagged wounds. Three clean holes spilling blood onto the dirt.

”Shit, I didn’t mean... I saw... Hold on we can...” Arthur looked around for the camp light only to see they had traveled too far.

”Y-you shot me.” Belle gasped falling to her knees. Hands shaking around the wounds. Arthur scrambled to his knees and pushed his hands on her belly. Blood poured between his fingers painting his hands in red.

”I didn’t-“

”Take this.” Belle wrapped her blood clad hands around his wrist. Arthur watched her place something black on his skin. It was hard and cool despite the boiling hot blood all over them. A strange blue light flickered at him, “You broke it with one of your shots, but maybe...” Belle gasped out pressing something.

”What is-“

”Show this to me. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” Belle pressed something hard. 

Arthur felt his body growing hot and cold at the same time. The sensation of every joint being ripped apart and replaced with jelly. A metallic taste filled his mouth. The sound of a roaring ocean combined with the thundering of hundred of horses filled his head. Enveloped in a light and thrown into the air only to be dropped right where he had started.

”Arthur, wha? How?” Arthur turned to see Belle standing in the woods. Her skirts torn and hair wild.

”How... you were just-“

Three shots rang out in the air. Arthur blinked a few times and touched his abdomen. Blood poured from the pink and white mess of his insides.

”Arthur!!” Belle reached for him as he fell. Something hot pulled at his bones and he was laying right next to her. Three holes in her own abdomen. Her body curled around his. Arthur lay staring into the sky unable to move, drawing his last breath.

Lightning struck down onto the bodies. Flashing a white hot light that forced Belle and Arthur to snap out of it. Arthur’s eyes trained on the dead bodies in front of him until the light disappeared and the bodies with it, while Belle shielded her eyes from the light.

”What was that?” Belle asked in a shaky voice rubbing her ear as a tiny bit of blood started falling from it.

”I- I don’t.” Arthur looked around the forest trying to figure out what the hell happened. His hand placed on his abdomen pressing in until it hurt, but finding no injuries. Blood dripped from his nose onto his lips, “We need to get back to camp. Too dangerous out here. Your gang...”

Arthur wrapped his arm around her shoulders a bit too tightly, but Belle allowed him, “We were drugged, had to be.” Arthur mumbled.

”What?” Belle asked with a slight shake to her voice, “What happened what did you see?”

”Nothing, come on.” Arthur’s jaw closed in a steel vice. She wouldn’t believe him anyway. She wouldnt believe that he killed his own ghost. Nor would she believe that he saw their corpses curled around one another. He didn’t believe it himself. So, when they finally returned to camp and the questions started Arthur just shrugged while Hosea ordered the camp to be loaded up. He pushed it to the furthest reaches of his mind as he started to help with the heavy loading.


	8. 1By Wagon 2 By Horse

_”Arthur, are you okay?" Belle walked out from the forest. Her knee hurt like a bitch from stumbling and falling over a root she didn't see. His eyes were wide and he swatted at his ears. She looked around to try and find what he was going on about, but saw and heard nothing at all except his own mutterings._

_"Ar... Arthur?" She reached out for him slowly. His head snapped to her. A shine was over his eyes._

_"Oh no, Arthur it isn't real. What you're seeing isn't real... shit." Belle reached for him again in panic, but was met with his backhand across her face. Leaved and branches snapped as she stumbled back holding her face in both hands._

_"What the hell?!" Arthur shouted suddenly drawing his gun. Belle only had a few short moments to scream his name when he shot. There was a short pause and he shot her again. She looked down with shaking hands._

_"No... oh." Belle gasped and absentmindedly tried to scoop the pouring blood back into her. If she could just get it back inside she could be fine. Panic overrode common sense as she pooled the blood in desperation. There was no pain, only the strange feeling of being pushed back. In fact, there was a strange numbness around the leaking holes. Belle muttered to herself and tried to push the blood back inside. When the third shot came her mind broke. Tears forming in her ear as the panic gave way to pure horror. She was going to die, and Arthur was the one to kill her._

_"Y-you shot me.” Belle gasped falling to her knees. Hands shaking around the wounds. Arthur scrambled to his knees and pushed his hands on her belly. Blood poured between his fingers painting his hands in red._

_”I didn’t-“_

_She looked into his eyes. The shine was gone, but it was too late. The pain finally started to zap through her slowly. Her body unsure of how to handle the situation simply pumped her full of adrenalyn and false hope. However, in the blink of an eye he was gone. Her hair stood on end as a small bolt of blue electricity ran into the ground._

_Three holes. Three holes on her abdomen that seemed to grow in size the longer she looked at it. Red hot blood pouring like rivers out of her. They grew until they started to swallow her in unbelievable sizes. The pain paralyzed her to the point she fell on her back. Cold, in pain, and alone she cried out one last time until the holes in her body swallowed into the ground._

Crisp fall air washed over the travelers. A large caravan with at least three wagons and four men on horseback continues through the New Austin wilderness. Every so often a traveler would see them, but gave a wide berth to the large group. Due to the shear amount of large men with guns patrolling the outside of the caravan, no one looked twice and no one asked questions. Every so often an animal would dart across the road in a panicked skitter. Larger animals mostly stayed in the fields or woods. The sun was high enough in the air that women had hats or parasouls over head to protect their faces. The men pulled their hats low. Chatter was low and sparse, but it was flowing enough.

In the first wagon lay a few odds and ends. Mostly smaller furniture packed tight with rope. Hidden partially under blanket was a man tied up. His shirt covered in blood and his face a sickly pale. Next to him sat a very quiet Kieran, watching the road flow by. He was trusted enough to travel unbound but not trusted enough to have his own horse. He was a little grateful to be honest. Not everyone had gotten a good amount of sleep the night prior due to the events, but most of the others were able to hied how weary they were. He couldn't and neither could the auburn haired woman whose head and upper body leaned on a tied down chest.

Kieran knew her name of course. The gang had let up on him after she arrived in her ball of fury. Her first few days weren't pretty. She had openly mocked those walking by and had even kicked the bucket used for her toilet over out of spite. They clearly didn't let her have another after that. She was like him in a few ways. They had both arrived as enemies and gained a bit of freedom, maybe a friend or two. At that thought Kieran shot a look to Mary Beth. He watched her pretty face turn up and laugh flow in the air. It was a symphony to him, and he could have listened for hours had Belle not cried out in her sleep. It was quiet enough not to alert the others, but loud enough it woke the pale man beside him.

"I remember the first time I saw her have a nightmare." The man said, "Thought it was so weird to see someone so innocent having a nightmare. Then I got to know her. Funny thing about con women. You still feel like they care."

"You know her?" Kieran asked the man, watching to see if Dutch would whip around at any moment.

"Knew her. We were classmates together. She was smarter than me, went further... thought she cared about me. Was gonna get married and then..." The wagon hit a bump and rocked everyone around. The wounded man yelled out in pain as the back of his head hit a wooden bedpost forcing him to punch himself in the face and elbow his gunshot wound.

Belle startled awake and looked over at Kieran and then down to the prisoner. Her tired eyes hardened to anger before she looked out towards the road. Worry lines came from where her eyebrows met. Her bottom lip came into her mouth and she chewed on it. Kieran could pick out some features he would say were beautiful. The shape of her nose and chin; however, pinched her face just small enough she wasn't stunning but still pretty.

"You really gonna get married to her?" Kieran asked looking back to the tied man. The man let out a bark of a laugh.

"I look like the kind of man to tell you the truth. Not everything you hear is real, kid." The man bit out.

"Don't take it to heart Kieran. That bastard is a snake worse than any you ever saw. He sold out his own mama for some fucking job." Belle hissed out.

"Oh Arabella-"

"Don't you dare.... Don't you dare use my fucking name, not after everything you've done Gregory Liam." Belle growled kicking out so that the heel of her boot met his face. Blood gushed from his nose, but he just laughed.

"Mr. Duffy would you shut up our guest?" Dutch said in a rather annoyed tone. Kieran scrounged in his pockets until he came with a used kerchief and shoved it as deep into Gregory's mouth it would go, "Thank you."

Belle tapped her lips and looked at Dutch. His face was tired but determined. There was a glint of something in his eye. Something that didn't sit well with her but she couldn't pin it. Dutch turned his head just a little. Amused smile playing on his lips.

"Arabella? Such a pretty little name." He gave before nudging John to attention next to him, "Isn't it?"

"What... uh yeah sure..." John shook his head a little and continued to hold the reigns steady. His own eyes covered in purple from lack of sleep. Dutch rolled his eyes and just gave a smile to Belle. It unsettled her just enough that she didn't feel quite right, but she smiled back anyway. Even though she wasn't confident in it, it still felt good to get positive attention from the gangs leader.

"Why did you change it?" Kieran pulled the attention back to himself. Dutch gave a soft 'herumpf' of sorts and Belle fell into a gentle conversation with Kieran. His soft spoken demeanor nice to lean into for a short while. She did glance every so often up to Dutch. Sometimes he would catch her eye and others she could see him clearly eavesdropping. It made her a bit more cautious with her words.

Dutch was none too happy when he returned to camp. He did; however, find time to commend Belle in her efforts and give her her own cut of nearly one hundred dollars. His words cut a little less harshly as he pocketed his own cut along with the camp cut even though they had to move. With Dutch's newfound contempt of Belle came something else as well. A look in his eye as he really looked at her. 'A fine young woman' he had called her at one point. She found herself liking it a bit. Maybe a bit too much.

"Welcome back gentlemen, what did you find?" Dutch asked suddenly pulling the caravan to a halt.

"Nice little spot, Dutch. Clemens Point just a few hours ride east." Hosea answered with a grin on his face. The grin didn't quite reach the mans eye. There was a tiredness to his movement. One that came from the spirit and not the body. Belle averted her eyes. It felt personal and almost wrong to watch. Her eyes landed on Arthur and how he seemed to avoid looking at her. A flash of fear in his eyes and a quick hand to his abdomen. Horror twisted his lips and he looked around only to look back at his hand and curl it into a fist. Curiosity pulled at her even harder. What had he seen?

"Hosea would you take over for poor John here? Boy's nearly asleep."

Belle tuned out Dutch and watched Arthur, trying to find anything she could, "You caused that." Gregory hissed. Belle turned her head sharply to see the men had crawled out of the wagon, Kieran included. They stood over just far enough away to talk. John rolled his eyes but lowered his head.

"Caused what?" Belle hissed back in anger.

”I’d expect a lying cheat like you not to know. Before they let us have those bands they taught us about colliding timelines, you were just lucky they were able to separate themselves or...”

Belle leaned forward and took the spit soaked wad from where Gregory had tongues it out of his mouth and showed it back inside. She got a bit of enjoyment from watching him gag as she pushed it further than she needed to. In a immature fashion, she flipped Gregory off before jumping out of the wagon. Leaving him to squirm, gag and try not to vomit.

”I was just talking about you!” Dutch said with a bright smile.

”When have you not, these last few days.” Belle muttered sourly. She saw his face twist and lifted her hands in a defensive gesture, “Sorry, Greg was saying some pretty hurtful things back there. Lack of sleep got me emotional.”

Dutch raised an eyebrow but continued to reach for her arm, pulling her in closer, “Before we got back there was a tip of some thrives that had stolen a few good horses. A word shared here and there and they are willing to pay good money to have some papers for ‘em.” Dutch said moving to snake his arm around her waist and rest it on her hip. She found the gesture to be an almost possessive warning. It almost made her feel like a prisoner again.

“Where did they hear this?” Belle crossed her arms.

”May have visited a bar in Rhodes and talked to a man or two.” Arthur scratched the back of his head and looked at Hosea.

”Am I gonna be able to rest in camp before this at least?” Belle almost whined. John snickered lowly.

”Young women.” Dutch said in a chastising way, “You can either work at putting camp up or ride back to Valentine and take care of it.”

”That’s a three days ride! We already made it this far.” Belle had to hold herself back from stomping her foot. Anger rose in her chest mixed with her tired body, “Need I remind you those assholes almost killed me.” Dutch’s hand gripped her painfully. She bit her inner cheek and held herself back from decking him.

”Dutch is gonna send me with you.” Arthur said shaking his head.

”Just us? I can’t ride a horse first off, second wouldn’t two of us be underpowered. Maybe this is a... ouch okay got it.” Belle felt Dutch’s rings dig into her side.

"Pretend for a moment, my dear, that you are a mute. If you would." Dutch gave gently. Hosea lit a cigarette and leaned back on his foot while Arthur and John shared an uncomfortable glance. Belle met Dutch's eyes with fire of anger, but cooled it when she saw an almost caring look in his own. There was still a hint of something behind them. A gleam and promise of something dangerous; however, at this moment he was giving her a look of genuine compassion. That or he was very good at faking it.

"Thank you. Now if I may be allowed to finish. I am sending Charles and Arthur along with you. Unfortunately we are using the wagon for the moment so you will have to ride on the back of Mr. Morgan or Mr. Smith's horses for now. There is a train station that will lead you fairly close to camp. The boys may chose to use it at their discretion, or if you are able to hold your composure for long enough they may be inclined to teach you how to ride." Dutch relaxed as he spoke, his hand sliding from its tight grip to drop back to his own side. Belle found herself absentmindedly rubbing the slight pinch of pain his grip had left behind.

"Gather what you need from the wagons, we can't afford to be standing still for too long. We have other problems to worry about." Hosea said waving behind him to becon Charles forward.

"I don't have much in the form of personal items." Belle pointed out pulling at her skirts.

"That's what your cut was for." Dutch pointed out.

"You have your own money now, workin' jobs like you do. Gotta start paying your way." Arthur said rolling his shoulders.

"I don't have a bag or anything. I put it away in a book." Belle admitted with a blush in her cheeks.

"Just give it to Arthur for the time being. You'll hold if for her, won't you Arthur?" Hosea made the question sound more like a statement in the way he spoke. It was still gentler than one of Dutch's command but no less powerful.

"Sure." Arthur grumbled, "Just hurry on."

Belle made her way back to the wagon as Charles was pulling towards Hosea. She hoisted herself into the wagon and opened the small torn book Susan had given her to pass the time. The bills inside still had her heart hammer a bit at the sight of it. Even in her own time she never had money. Everything was shared equally. There was no need for the _mine_ mentality, but holding it in her hands caused that tiny greedy devil to pop on her shoulder. It made her a bit excited to ride all the way up just to forge a few documents. There would be more money to be had at the end of it. she could see how this life was intoxicating to some. Freedom and money for easy things. How was that not perfect.

When Belle finally returned to the small group she found Kieran telling Dutch about Gregory. In a way a puppy would come to its master and show its belly. She found herself chewing her lip out of self consciousness. Kieran was a kind and gentle soul, but he clearly couldn't keep secrets. She was grateful for this lesson, but also a bit crestfallen. She pushed past the talking men to where Charles and Arthur were waiting on their horses. Arthur didn't say much, and held out his hand. The money was stashed somewhere into his satchel out of sight.

"Ready to go?" Charles asked with a soft grin, "C'mon you can ride with me first, Tamia don't bite." The Grey Snow Capped Spotted mare knickered gently as if to confirm his words. With a pulled smile Belle reached up and clasped his arm tightly while putting a foot on the stirrup. With surprising strength, Charles lifted her with one hand and turned to help her sit behind him. Tamia whined lowly at the lack of Belle's grace. Belle's fingers dug into Charles' belt in fear. The ground under her was too far away and the beast under her behind could kill her. In some way it impressed her that such an animal existed, let alone let others ride it.

"The horses must be tired from all the riding we've done today alone." Belle said watching the wagons start to move. Karen and Mary Beth waved from their posts. The nearly silent woman whose name she kept forgetting smiled from where she sat next to Tilly. Poor woman had lost her husband to a bunch of thugs in the mountains.

"Eh' we won't go to far. Maybe a few hours." Arthur said stretching his arms before kicking his Few Spot-Appaloosa into gear. The horse was fairly new and didn't have a name yet. He had only bought it to finally give Charles his own horse back and stop the bitching.

"We're all tired. Moving is hard on everyone, horses included." Charles added kicking Tamia into a walk. Belle found herself gripping his hips tighter and wobbled. It was hard to find the right way to move with the animal. The only vehicles she had ever known was either a smooth train or time travel. Neither one required her to move her hips away from the trunk of her body in such a disjointed way. There was already a slight burn to her abdomen from it.

She found herself falling into it after a few minutes. Her stomach still swirled with doubt, but the men kept a steady and slow walk. They talked amongst each other in softer tones. Loud enough she could still hear them, but low enough she knew she wasn't invited into it. Not that she could understand them. Arthur spoke of a man called Trelawny while Charles brought up a town called Blackwater.

When the light started to grow low she watched the sky. It was still crazy to her that her world was once like this. Green everywhere with animals moving in their own lives. Sadness filled her chest. The sterile walls of the buildings she had grown in mixed with the constant red sky and soot covered world was the future. It was easy to take advantage of silly things like pilling grass when talking or breaking sticks when board.

"We need to make camp for the night." Charles bumped Belle gently with his shoulder.

"Finally, I can't feel my ass." She grumbled.

"Maybe someone should learn how to ride." Arthur teased.

"Yeah let me get right on that." Belle said with a roll to her eyes. She tensed her fingers at the thought of camping out in the open. Clearly she hadn't made too big of a splash yet as they hadn't found her again, but it still worried her. What if they came back? There was only Arthur and Charles and clearly she wasn't going to share a tent or bedroll with one of them. Someone could easily just come in and drag her...

"What's that up there?" Charles broke her out of her silent panic.

"Lights?" Arthur asked. Belle craned her sore neck to see that there was in fact lights. Many of them.

"Music?" Charles asked as a soft flow of strings made its way to them. An excitement built up inside of Belle. She had only read of these before.

"It's a fair!" She exclaimed with stars in her eyes, "Can we go?"

"We need rest for tomorrow." Arthur said, shutting down the idea.

"When did you say no to fun?" Charles asked with a raised brow.

"Oh Please, I'll be good." Belle wrapped her hands together in a prayer motion.

"See, said she'd be good. They probably have food." Charles pointed out meeting the unimpressed eyes of Arthur.

"Fine, but no trouble." Arthur said.

"Okay, dad." Belle huffed out sarcastically making Charles chuckle. The three turned towards the light and made their way towards it like moths to a flame. Belle found herself bouncing excitedly like a child.

Charles had barely stopped to tether his horse when she excitedly jumped off to look at everything. It wasn't the biggest fair by far but the lights and music were nothing compared to the scene within. Fire Dancers walked between people in the crowd while horses dressed up in paint and jewels paraded around. People laughed and talked amongst themselves. In the middle was a dancing ring. Belle found herself tearing off like a small child before the others had caught up. Or so she thought.

"Arthur?" Belle asked reaching out. A horse nearby reared and whined loudly making the crowd of people split amongst themselves. Belle felt his breath in her face, but the eyes were so wrong. The green eyes were swirled with red and black. Lightning cracked in the sky and a small shower of hail fell down all at once as if someone put their hand in a bucket and threw a fistfull into the air. THe horse made a deep low noise that twisted in her ears. Arthur melted into the crowd.

Behind her someone grabbed her arm and yanked it hard. She turned to see Arthur pulling as hard as he could. Confusion settled within her.

"Arthur let go." Belle pulled her arm.

"You almost killed yourself." Arthur said yanking her harshly back towards himself.

"Let go!" Belle yanked at her arm again.

"You almost died." Arthur pointed out twisting her arm painfully in an attempt to get her to stop fighting.

"You hurt me!" Belle yelled out in pain.

_You shot me!_

Arthur let go of her suddenly and reached for his abdomen with heavy breath. His eyes open wild as he lifted his shirt in front of God and everybody to expose his hairy chest. With shaky hands he righted himself and cleared his throat. Heart still pounding in his chest. Face wavering in his attempt to claim control over the situation.

Belle lay where she had fallen hands clasping her own abdomen. Pain racing to her back and climbing up to paralyze her until the waves ended. Teeth grinding in her mouth as her own scream bounced in her head. She felt his hands hovering over her shoulders.

"You alright?" Arthur watched her shake her head. The small crown had dispersed. So had the lights and music.

"She's just tired Arthur." Charles said in a gentle tone.

"What do you mean, there was..." Belle turned her head to see the tail end of a buffalo herd running away from them and into the pasture. Her heart nearly burst out of her chest, "No there was..."

"Go set up camp, Charles. I got this." Arthur waited until Charles left and grabbed onto Belle's shirt, "When we get to Valentine me an' you are gonna have a good sit down. You're gonna start explaining things to me."

"You wont understand, it will put you in danger and-" Arthur put his hand on her mouth. For a moment she swore she saw fear in his eyes.

"I keep seeing myself. Dead an alive. Everywhere. I'm going crazy." Arthur said.

"You're not crazy." Belle pushed his hand off of her mouth.

"Then tell me what's going on. You a witch?" Arthur asked with lowered brows.

"No I-"

"We only have two bedrolls!" Charles yelled over to them, "I guess I'll keep first watch." Belle watched Arthur's eyes grow hard. He stood up and offered a hand to her.

"Valentine then." Arthur nodded as if to make his point hit harder.

"FIne... Valentine." Belle wrung her hands together and desperately tried to find the right words.


	9. Dead to Rights

“What about your mom?” Charles asked in a chipper tone, “Never heard you talk of your parents before.”

The crisp fall morning woke the trio early. They had a small shared breakfast of dried jerky and canned peaches before hitting the trail. It was a strange sensation to Belle, waking in the fall that was. She didn’t open her eyes in a warm dry tent, but instead found her eyelashes and hair stuck with drops of water. Dew, is what it was called if she remembered correctly. Arthur had begrudgingly taken Belle on the back of his horse as Charles pressed.

”I’ve already taken her this far, Arthur. My horse needs a rest from the extra weight.” Charles has said gently. If she were in better spirits, Belle would have taunted in a friendly way about the weight comment. However, Arthur and her had a rough night. Looking into the darkness hearing voices that weren’t there. Belle wondered how far the shockwave went. How deep has she torn time in an attempt to save her own life? As she mulled over this Charles asked her the question.

” _What about your mom?”_

”What about her?” Belle snapped coldly. Her fingers grabbing at Arthur’s hips hard enough he grunted. The question caught her off guard. She had been so focused on herself that she hadn’t paid attention to Charles go on about his mother again. It was a sad story, but told enough times you’d find yourself sighing inside.

”That bad?” Arthur asked reaching down to loosen her fingers. When his skin touched hers he lifted them as if she were fire. A shame filled her for a moment. Eyes drifting to her feet.

”She wasn’t evil. Just a product of our society.” Belle shook her head, “It was eat or be eaten. She was eaten. I didn’t want to be like her so I fought and crawled and lied and stole. I claimed those stairs to reach the top.”

”Good thing isn’t it?” Charles tried to smooth the conversation over and avoid the clear outburst waiting to happen.

”I want to say yes. I want to say that it’s the best thing I could have done, but when you reach the top... and you finally look down. You see those stairs that you ground under toe were people. And the top isn’t the top. It’s an illusion of power. The truth is we are all shoved into a dark box. They shake you and shake you so that you turn on others while they watch and laugh. She wasn’t evil, just-“

”She turned on you.” Arthur said in an almost smug tone. Charles shot him a look of surprise while Belle felt her body burn where she touched him.

”It wasn’t my fault.” Belle weakly defended herself.

”It never is.” Arthur said before the group fell into a harsh silence. Belle wanted to fight him and defend herself. She wanted to reach up and strangle him. Once her anger cooled an icy truth came up her veins. Shame turned her cheeks red. Belle bowed her head, watched the road under her move, and remained silent.

_“Mommy mommy! Jeremy down the hall says you’re a low life!” A small Belle ran into the cramped living quarters her family shared. The pudge rolls of childhood still sticking to her little wrists and knees while her face held the rounded cheeks that anyone would pinch._

_”I did not!” A small red head boy ran into the quarters with a red face and furrowed brows, “My daddy says that only low lives work in the kitchen and below.”_

_”Oh yeah! Who would give you crackers then.” Belle stamped her foot hard on the ground and reached for Jeremys hair. Her fingers curled into his short locks and she pulled as hard as she could._

_”Arabella Graham you let him go this minute!!” A tired looking young woman appeared from behind the small counter space. Her face covered in flour as drying dough caked inert her nails._

_”I’ll show you low life Jeremy. Teacher said you can’t work well with one eye!” Belle reached towards the counter and grabbed for the knife._

_”Arabella, No!”_

Her mother’s scream continued to echo in her ears. Jeremy had been pulled to a lower standard of class after that. She was right. He couldn’t work and was soon sent to mine Earth. Back then she didn’t know what an underground mine was, nor did she understand why his family soon had another baby and kept her away.

She hadn’t gotten in trouble of course due to her high standing in class. A simple slap on the wrist was all she got. It still left her feeling hollow. If they had been more stern with her, punished her fairly, maybe she would have grown better. Maybe her mother would have loved her more, maybe she would still be home waiting to marry. Instead she learned how to lie and cheat. Instead she was trained to be a deceiver. Instead she was kneeling by a campfire, pushing a can of beans away from the flame with a knife and getting ready to hollar that their meager lunch was ready.

Belle looked up to see Arthur standing guard. His eyes off in the distance, tracking a flock of birds as they flew by. His face contorted in thought. She wished she had the answers and could go back and fix everything. Tie it with a neat little bow and run off to hide, but time didn't work that way. There was no quick fixes, no clean line, and absolutely no redos. Her heart yanked painfully. The one thing they couldn't kill was her empathy. It always got her in trouble, even now.

"You're burning the food." Charles pushed her hands away and finished fishing out the beans. Arthur turned to look at her causing her to avert her eyes. The pain in his green eyes was clearly there and she didn't know how to fix it.

"Sorry I was..." Belle let her words die in her throat. She was a million miles away. The inner voice in her head begged her to run. Run at the first sign of conflict. There was no pain if you weren't around to see it... right? If a tree fell and no one was around to hear it did it even make a noise?

Dinner was quiet that night as it had been the two nights prior. Charles knew something was wrong, but he kept to himself. He didn't know Belle well enough to reach out, but knew Arthur well enough to know he wouldn't want to be bothered with it. The two didn't sleep much, and sometimes Arthur looked around as if silent voices called his attention. Charles found himself wondering, but also pulling away. The gang was already deteriorating in camp. Dutch losing his strings one by one. Perhaps Arthur wasn't as sturdy as Charles had thought he was.

"I'll take first watch tonight." Charles deemed hoping that Arthur would sleep. The other man simply nodded a silent thanks and laid on a bedroll. Belle on the other hand sat next to the fire and pulled her legs close to her body. A thought on her mind.

"How would you explain the impossible to someone who wouldn't believe you but needed to for their own sanity?" Belle asked as soon as Arthur started to snore.

"What do you mean?" Charles asked oiling his bow.

"Say I had a way of flying." Belle said.

"Do you?" Charles asked.

"No, that's not the point it's... Forget it my head hurts." Belle sighed and laid down on the itchy bedroll. She stretched out her sore legs and felt the pinching pain in her glutes.

"Look I'm not going to pretend to know what's happening between you two, but I'd be honest. Arthur is smarter than people give him credit for." Charles started plucking at the string to test it.

"God help me." Belle whispered and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Let go of me!" Belle pushed on his chin hard enough she could hear his teeth snap together. Arthur's hands gripped at her shoulders but the torrent of ice rain had his hands slipping until they were around her throat. Something bleed into his mind. The thought that he should just wrap them even tighter. A voice that was his own, tinged with a reverb of tortured anger taunting, begging him to snap her pretty little neck. He felt her hand on his chest, knees pushing on his hips. A second voice entered his mind. Gentler and kind, leading him to let go. There was a fight within himself. He could have ended this all. Lastly he saw their bodies again. Intertwined, her hand on his and face buried in his neck.

He turned and saw a river washing over him. It was sudden and brisk. The cold knocking the air from his lungs as he desperately clawed for air. Where had the water come from? Where the hell was he? A hand dipped into the water. It calmed all of a sudden. Small fingers wrapped around his vest and yanked. The water gave way to daylight.

"Hey there cowboy, sun's getting real low." Belle gently ran a hand down his face and traced his scars.

"What?" He furrowed his brow. He turned his head to see a sun rising in the distance, "Sun's rising not-"

He turned to see her gone. Micah stood in her place raising a gun towards him, "Micah?"

"Sorry about this black lung." Micah bit out sarcastically. Arthur shook his head.

"Black Lung? What the hell are you?!" The air was out of his body before he could finish it. He hit the ground with little feeling or movement. Almost as if he was weightless.

"Arthur!" Dutch knelt over his body. Arthur could see him but couldn't move. Next to him he could hear a weak cry. He forced himself to turn his head and saw Belle stand up holding her abdomen. She opened her fingers and showed him the black thing she had put on his wrist.

"Ask me." When she spoke blood poured from her mouth like a river.

"Why are you haunting me in my dreams now?" Arthur spoke with surprising ease.

"Ask me..."

Arthur sat up. His eyes snapping open and hand reaching for his gun. Camp had clearly been broke and there was a high pitched laugh coming from Belle. Her face contorted into the biggest smile in days. Charles grinned in a proud way, puffing his chest out just a little. Her attention clearly petting his ego. Arthur found himself looking over his shoulder and for a second swore he saw her standing there too. She looked different. More rested. Hair longer. A ring on her finger? Her eyes were sad. Lips open as if to say something. He shook his head and stood up. When he looked back she was gone. Damn dreams.

The three quickly finished packing camp and made their way to Valentine. Charles and Belle talked most of the trip while Arthus kept his eyes out for anything. Every so often he swore he caught a glimpse of her in the treeline. Every time she lifted the black item he kept dreaming about. His mouth set in a harsh line.

"How much further?" Charles asked suddenly.

"Just before Valentine we take a left and follow til we see a cabin." Arthur rolled his neck out of discomfort.

"Can we stay up in that hotel up in Valentine before we get back on the road. It's been a near week since I've slept in a bed." Belle whined. Charles echoed a soft agreement making Arthur roll his eyes.

They followed the road much like Arthur had said and watched a small smoke stack grow closer. A tiny cabin stood between tall treen. Nearly hidden in plain sight. The dead end road wouldn't have a need to be ridden on unless you needed to.

"You got business here, friend?" A guard lifted his rifle just a tad. He stepped from the trees and spooked the horses just enough that they whined softly.

"Names Arthur Morgan, that there is Charles Smith and Belle Graham. We work for Dutch Van Der Linde." Arthur held his head high and squared his shoulders.

"We've been expecting you. Boss been real eager to get his hands on them papers. Just in there." The guard threw a thumb over his shoulder. The three dismounted and quickly made their way towards the shack. Both men on guard and Belle feeling her stomach turn.

The door opened and smoke wafted out. It smelled of a mixture of weed and tobacco. Arthur and wasted no time greeting the guards of the man they were doing business with. Belle however was frozen at the door. Mouth agape much like a fish out of water. The man sitting at the table stood and lifted his hands in greetings. A deep english accent peppering his words as he spoke.

"It's good to see you again little snake."


	10. A Matter of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unfortunately I lost all the chapters pre written for this fic and then an ice storm hit my state pretty hard. Sorry for the wait , but I was pretty low after losing all my work.
> 
> Due to my hard drive crashing and the back up being corrupted I had to rewrite this on my phone so I do apologize if my errors are even greater. As soon as I can get ahold of a working computer I will go over this once again and fix what I can find.

Smoke danced inside the cabin much like morning fog did. A simple movement curled the smoke into a fanfare of dance as it spread throughout the room. Three men stood in the room smoking on pipes. Some on weed and others on tobacco. The smell and feel of the air that lain heavy with the smoke had the newcomers buzzing. Slight relaxation to limbs and eyes as the weed hit and a gentle buzz as the tobacco latched on as well. On the walls of the room stood two men. They seemed friendly enough, offering hands towards Arthur and Charles as they entered the room, but as with all silent threats, theirs was a simple flash of holstered guns towards one another. The gentle reminder that all men would defend themselves as need be. Towards the door stood Belle slack jawed and surprised. Water started boiling in her eyes. The last man sitting stood up and stepped into the lamp light.

His grey tightly curled hair was somewhat coarse yet shimmered with a healthy glow, hazel eyes shimmering with a bit of mirth, and face was absolutely shaven clean. The elderly black man in front of Belle smiled brightly, his cane hitting the ground in a limped time as he made his way around the table in their way. Belle found herself clutching at her skirts, legs shaking and mouth flopping over and over like a fish. It wasn't until the man had made his way to stand in front of her that Belle was able to speak.

_"Theodore.''_

_"I suppose you'll be my tag along." The British accent caught Belle off guard. She had known there were different countries still orbiting Earth in their own space ships, but she had never encountered them before. As resources got scarce countries split contact with one another only holding a flimsy peace in the form of silence. A sort of 'we wont shoot you if you don't shoot us' moment._

_"Yeah I guess." Belle said handing the man a piece of paper. Hazel eyes locked with Steel Grey ones. He flashed her a kind smile. It lowered her guards but she didn't put her hopes up._

_"Half expected you lot to wear your flags on your suits. Very proud of your flag, Americans are." He muttered more to himself as he read the paper. Belle coughed into her hand and looked around. The station they had landed in looked worn down. Years of the dry, hostile terrain of a dead planet did not bode well for it. It looked like it would have been beautiful once. Holographic for ads flickered here and there. Since it was an Earth station there were adds in many different languages rolling past. Every so often the slight warnings would ping overhead sometimes in English and other times in languages Belle had never even heard before._

_"They changed that after the gorilla attacks from Spain." Belle muttered looking at the once chrome floors and how they now looked like a dull silver with red sand in every crevice._

_"Mmmm, that's right you two fought over solar_ _rights." Theodore glanced up at her. She saw a bit of judgement in his eyes and felt her attitude flare. Pride was hurt at his sudden stab._

_"They did try to push us out of our spot in the atmosphere. We have way more people than-" Theodore raised a hand to silence her._

_"You signed your allegiance towards all of mankind when you came down here. There is no them anymore, down here it's us. We all suffer the same." Theodore looked over her with a raised brow, "You don't look like the normal Travel brat they send me. American's are mostly trackers, hunters, or police anymore... Not that I'm judging, I see your face. Every country has a niche they do the best in and historical documents isn't really one of the States." Belle pursed her lips in an agreement sort of way and nodded her head. She fingered the pendent Amber had placed to her vest before she had traveled._

_"Well then, as my new underling. You should know a few things. I specialize in documents. Which is why they sent you to me ahhh...." Theodore scratched the back of his bald head and worked to find the words, " I specialize in a very small pocket of time in the Americas actually. A lot happened during the industrial revolution in the west. However, they seem to want you to go even more forward. Corruption of old drives this says."_

_"1650's towards the 1700's." Belle said without looking at Theodore. Her eyes focused on the red sun and how small chunks were floating around it. Her eyes had spots forming in front of them reminding her to look away._

_"Lot of ground for you to cover alone." Theodore mused. He watched the rest of the crowd dissipate and grabbed Belle's arm, "So, tell me little snake. What do they want to erase?"_

_Belle felt her answer die in her throat. The desperation in his eyes reached her core. Maybe he was just a puppet like she was. His actions as a child hidden and erased so that he was as controllable as she was to his own people. Maybe they all worked for the same entity and they were kept separate from each other. She wanted to tell him it was nothing and slap him away, but there was something deep in his eyes. Something that called to the own scared little girl still bound in her own chest. So when she opened her mouth to speak a tear fell down her cheek. Hopelessness filled her._

_"Everything."_

"You're sloppy. Easy to find, predictable. You almost ruined everything, Belle." Theodore snapped at her in a tone of a scolding father. Cane hitting the floor at every word as if making them stronger. The men in the cabin stopped their soft chatter and watched him grow closer towards her. Charles and Arthur grew tense while the guards laid hands on their guns in warning. Theodore grabbed Belle tightly by the shoulder and shook her once in a very angry way. Tired eyes flashing in a bit of rage. Before she could process why he was so angry his arms enveloped her making her close her eyes as the tears fell into his vest, "I was so scared for you."

"You made it." She cried in relief.

"Course I made it you daft girl. The whole point was to make it so that they couldn't track me anymore. Same as you should have done." Theodore pulled her back and looked into her eyes, "You should have destroyed it and gone your own way. Not make these giant shock waves they can follow."

" 'scuse me fella, but you're a bit too close to the lady." Arthur made his way back to Belle and pulled her towards him. Theodore stood up and met Arthur's green eyes. Worry and shock passed over Theodore's face. Just to the edge of Arthur's eye was a shine that could only be noticed if you knew what to look for. Theodore glanced towards Belle to see it in hers as well.

"My apologizes." Theodore shook his head and walked back to his table, "Belle, I would ask that only you and your male friend stay here while we handle business. My boys can go with this strapping lad and show him the horses."

"I don't know." Charles muttered looking at the two men. He rubbed his arms in a discomforted way.

"We'll be okay." Belle said gently.

"Don't think he's so worried about us, no offense." Arthur said pointedly. One of the guards shrugged while the other rolled his eyes.

"I'll go, but if I'm not back in ten minutes..."

Charles followed the two men with a slight frown on his face. Belle reached for his hand and squeezed it gently as he left. The last few days traveling so close to him had made her little heart flutter a bit as he walked by. His gentle smile didn't hurt either.

"Does he know?" Theodore wasted no time speaking when the door shut behind the three men. His eyes pointed to Arthur.

"Kinda-"

"What you did was stupid, reckless!" Theodore stood up slamming his hands against the table in an uncharacteristic show of anger.

"Hey mister no need-"

"Arthur please." Belle stood and pushed Arthur back down, "I didn't DO anything." she pointed out, "Why is it that everytime I see you you start yelling at me?"

"Because you do something yell worthy." Theodore pointed at Belle and sighed, "There was something that ripped time nearly a week ago. Shattered it muck like glass. The cracks are ripping bigger across time!"

"I didn't do that, it was the device. It was cracked, and I was..." Belle stumbled backwards as if pushed. A bit of blood started to drain from her nose. Pain exploded in her abdomen, "The device was cracked? But I don't..." Her fingers grasped into her pockets to try and find the device. The last week had stressed her so much she completely forgot about it, but when her fingers wrapped around the device there was a crack in it. She pulled it out slowly. Her chest squeezing so tightly she thought it might burst. Her memory wavered between a perfect device and a shattered one.

Arthur just stared at her as she pulled the device from her skirts. A lump in his throat formed as she wiped it with her thumb causing a shifting blue light to emit from it. His confusion grew on his face. Mind racing like a horse with its legs tied. He tried to comprehend what was going on, but he just couldn't grasp it. It made him angry. Without a second thought he snatched the watch from her hands and held it in his own.

"Be careful!" Belle reached for it, but Theodore raised a hand.

"He's a part of this now." Theodore spoke in a grim tone. A look of sadness twisted his withered features.

"He could-"

"Rip apart time?" Theodore interrupted, using a tone used for scolding children. Belle folded her hands and bowed her head. His aggressive nature was unlike him making her that much more painfully aware of how hard she fucked up. The two watched Arthur fumble with the mechanism and flinch at the light glaring at him. Belle grit her teeth and fought against her need to be in control. Her hands twisted over each other again and again in an attempt to keep busy.

"We need to get Charles, tell Dutch... He'll know what to do." Arthur spoke but stayed put holding the thing in his hand as if it were stinging him. Belle watched his face grow grim.

"You know you can't do that, don't you son." Theodore said sadly.

"How do I even know if either of you are tellin the truth?" Arthur shouted angrily. Belle looked towards the front door in worry, but Theodore sat calmly with his hands folded.

"What did you see, that night you came after me in the dark?" Belle asked with a soft tone. She reached for him, but he reacted like she was on fire.

"Nothing." Arthur tossed the device onto the table top. His face turned emotionless. With a swift hand he brought a cigarette to his lips and lit it, "We gonna do business or what?"

"Arthur, you just can't ignore this-"

"Can't I?" Arthur spoke in a cool tone towards Belle, but didn't yell. It was a calm anger. One that unnerved more then an explosion, you never knew when it would finally blow up. Though he was still as stone his fingers wavered just a little trying to light the thing between his lips.

"How do we fix it." Belle tried her hardest to copy Arthur. However, her eyes were shadowed in worry. These were lessons she didn't pay attention to. She had been too valuable at the time, too filled with a feeling of pure invulnerability. She had been a puppet, following lines. No matter how controversial to her own morals, they were drawn paths. Absolute truths in her life. Actual living took a dip into such unknown darkness that it chewed her up. It was easy to hide behind a gang and use them as cover from her own people. Truly easy to follow chores and rules when she had done it all her life. She silently begged that this was just as simple.

"That is something I don't know. The event that was caused can be the moment this shattered, It could be in the future, or in a past. It can be multiple events scattered between it all. All I know is that it involves the two of you." Theodore answered honestly, shooting a pained smile towards Belle. She took his sign of pity with a grain of salt.

”If you don’t fix it, it will consume the two of you as your timelines collapse into nothingness. As if you weren’t born at all. Time finds a way to correct himself, wiping off two small beings such as yourselves included.” Theodore’s warning hung in the air.

There was something calming about the silence that followed. Despite his earlier lash of anger, Arthur stood in a relatively calm manner. The cigarette between his fingers only adding more smoke into the dim room. Bell found herself pulling her skirts to her knees in an attempt to wiggle herself into a sitting position on the table. Theodore, used to her habits, moved his paperwork away from her.

”Your companion should be back shortly.” Theodore said rubbing his chin, “Suppose there isn’t much to show about horses.”

”Arthur and I have a lot of work to do anyway. Some backtracking, destroying, fixing, you know the whole damn show.” Belle sighed pulling a few of the documents into her hands. They were truly horse ownership paperwork. It made sense to blend for him,. Her heart squeezed at the threat her very being caused him. It wasn’t a small gesture he was making by exposing himself like this for herself. As angry as he was, Theodore showed his love for her clear as day.

”I suggest following the cracks. Find the way time ripples and examine it.” Theodore spoke running his chin. He slid a pen towards Belle and motioned for her to start writing. She gave a soft snort but did her duty. He could have done this just as easily as she could.

“And how do we do that?” Belle asked dotting a line a little too harshly causing Theodore to tap the table in annoyance.

”Whatever breadcrumbs you’ve been left.” He shrugged. Belle turned to see Arthur fully checked out of the conversation. His eyes following the smoke in the room. She wanted to ask for his guidance, but he didn’t even know what they were talking about.

“There are voices sometimes. Mostly my own but also Arthur’s. I see myself rarely. Different dress, different hairstyle different-“

”Personality.” Arthur spoke dropping the cigarette and crushing it under his heel.

”You are seeing yourselves?” Theodore asked with wide eyes.

”Ghosts.” Arthur corrected reaching for the device on the table again.

”Not ghosts, too real too...” Belle paused and thought about it for a moment. She supposed he was right. It was like seeing ghosts.

”Youre taking this relatively well for a man of your time, Mr. Morgan.” Theodore truly addressed Arthur for the first time. Finally speaking to a man he had tidied for years. His wise eyes catching the green ones of Arthur. He felt protective almost. Arthur was nothing but a name, a story. Having the man standing in flesh like this was both riveting and concerning.

"Truth be told, I don’t know what to say. Don’t even know if I believe ya." Arthur locked his teeth in a show of annoyance. Belle reached for the device.

_Ask me._

Arthur pulled the device away and started at her.

”You're acting like a child, give it back!” Belle shot her hands out and watched Arthur bring it up higher. Theodore’s lips quivered upward in an amused smile.

"Let’s say this is all real like the man says, this happened because of you.” Arthur glowered lowly. He didn’t quite understand what was going on but he understood enough to know that being erased didn’t sound like a good thing. By a bullet or by whatever this was.

"But I-I." Belle desperately clawed at her arms. The want to defend herself burning in her chest. Embarrassment flushed her neck and cheeks. Arthur looked at his hands with a mixture of anger and sadness. Theodore held a look of calmness that came before a good lecture. The monster inside her chest snapped its gaping maw at her. It demanded she shift blame. Put it on anyone but her. If she didn't take blame she didn't have to feel sorry, she didn't have to feel bad. If it wasn't her fault she didn't have to fix it.

”Its not MY fault!” Belle growled jumping and grabbing onto Arthur much like the petulant child she was acting like. Her fingers wrapped around the device, “Gove it back, if you won’t help me fix this I’ll do it myself!”

”Calm down, what is with you?” Arthur took a step back, tripping over his own boot and slamming into the wall behind them. Something clicked on the device. A blue light enveloped them.

”No wait!” Belle yelled feeling her joints snap painfully together. The light that consumed them felt like a burning fire and numbing ice. Muscles spawned as bones slid together. Belle’s nails dig into Arthur’s arm causing blood to pour down his arm. His own fingers gripped hers until one snapped between his hand and device. The ground snapped from under them causing them to be tossed in the air.

”Don’t let go!” Belle’s voice sounded warped. It held her tone without sounding like her at all. Both male and female, young and old. It stung Arthur’s ears, but her command had his free arm wrapping around her tightly. Rushing water meeting their ears. Just when it felt like it would last forever the ground met their unsuspecting bodies.

Arthur rolled to his side, gripping his bleeding arm while Belle grasped her broken fingers with a slight sob. The sun was setting over a small hill. Just to their left was a small cabin. The one they had just been inside of. Two boots stopped in front of Arthur, a hand reached down in offering.

”Okay, I believe you.” Arthur looked up to the smug face of Theodore.

”Was only a matter of time.”


	11. Press Pause

To pause is to interrupt and act or speech briefly. Most times it is in the form of a breath. Perhaps one has to form the words in mind. Crafting their meaning as they go. As I do now. There are many ways we can get misconstrued. Hundreds of words that have the same meaning yet when used can mean nothing at all. The pause can be a vital tool in helping us convey meanings, or reach for meanings of our own. This is where they were at this very moment in their lives. In Pause. Arthur with a cigarette in his lips and Belle sitting on a red roan mare.

With the flick of his wrist, Arthur ashed his cigarette. Eyes following the slow trot of the horse his obligatory companion. Her stance held enough confidence that he was able to slouch tiredly against a tree, shoulders rolled forward and right leg pulled up to let the heel of his boot dig into the bark. The two had no idea of where to go next or what to do. The confusion had piled up and bubbled forward into a volatile mess that had them at each other's throats one second and broken in the other. He noticed how panicked she was at the uncertainty. For some reason it comforted him on some level to know that she wasn't all knowing. Though questions still plagued his mind.

"Where are you really from?" Arthur asked as Belle rounded the tree again. She pulled a little too rough on the reigns causing the mare under her to whine, but the splint on her two smallest fingers of her right hand made her grip awkward.

"I think the question should be when." Belle said trying to gauge his temperament. During a long, drunk and nasty spat between the two he had thrown a chair or two at her and she had clocked him across the face. Arthur Morgan was a kind man, but was still a rugged outlaw and was raised to shoot a man as soon as look at him. She had never seen him as dangerous until he had stalked her into a corner yelling at her with alcohol on his tongue. Her nearly grey eyes looked at the bruise on his jaw and flexed her fist absentmindedly. The punch had sobered him enough to make him back off. She still felt that chill up her spine in remembrance.

"Should it?" He drawled rubbing at his stubble. Without his hat his ragged blond hair hung a little over his eyes.

"I guess it doesn't matter." She grumbled pushing a lock of hair behind her shoulder, "You remember when I was tied to that pole for days pissing myself?"

"Yeah." Arthur blew out smoke and looked towards the sky not wanting to meet her eyes.

"That was better than this." Belle said. Arthur cracked a bit of a smile and laughed.

"I'm sorry I just-"

"It's okay." The mare under Belle lowered her head to the ground and started to lazily graze around, "Believe it or not I was born up there."

"In the sky, your type some kind of birds?" Arthur questioned making Belle smile a bit bitterly.

"No in the stars. I was born among the stars. The Earth is a barren land. Nothing lives on it's surface anymore. Except the people that were sent down there to work."

"Born among the stars... You ain't screwing with me?" Arthur clenched his fist and let it go, trying to breath. All of this uncertainty made him angry for some reason. Belle noticed and gently kicked her Mare back into a trot.

"We can talk more over dinner." She said not daring to move her head in fear she would fall over. Arthur watched her go and felt a little guilty at the flash of fear in her eyes. He wanted to grab her hand and ask for forgiveness. Instead he walked towards his own horse and pulled the bow off of his saddle. He walked off in the opposite direction she was riding in and solidified the pause in conversation.

A few hours later Belle was slowly finishing the stringy squirrel meat while Arthur downed a cup of coffee. The fire cracked and crickets chirped. In the trees owls roused and racoons chittered. Arthur looked into the night sky and tried to imagine a woman giving birth in the void of nothingness.

"Among the stars?" He questioned more to himself, but Belle stopped eating and watched him. One hand lazily brushing a fly away from his face as the other supported his lean, head pointed toward the sky.

"We lived on a station. It was like... You know how a mine has tunnels underground that people can walk through and live in. It was kind of like that up there. We all had rooms and common areas. There was even a really cool..." Belle trailed off as the somber look on Arthur's face brought her back to the current. His eyes held so much pain. Arthur tried to understand he really did, but it was still so confusing, "I'm sorry I don't mean-"

"I never went to school. Barely know about my own place in the world, my gang is on the run and I was already uncertain about everything. Now all of a sudden I got to accept the fact that there are people from the future coming and going as they please and I'm about to be ripped apart from some mistake I did or didn't some how in the past or future. That you and I did whatever that was just a few days ago. Just hard is all." Arthur groaned and rubbed his face, "Was a simple man with a not so simple life sometimes. Nothing like this."

"I've always been on the run. Always been in the face of danger. After a while you just get used to knowing any second you could just disappear." Belle wiped the grease from her face as Arthur finally looked down to meet her eyes.

"What's so different this time that you're acting so scared all of a sudden?"

"I did it to someone else this time. I never learn" Her voice wavered slightly at her lie, but Arthur didn't pick it up.

"That's a sentiment I could drink to." Arthur muttered pulling the whisky bottle towards him. Belle, against her better judgement, held out her own cup. The two shared a silent raised glass towards one another before drinking it down. They shared more drinks in silence until they finally stumbled into the cramped cabin they had been using as refuge.

 _"_ _"I have already paid Charles and let him on his way." Theodore said with a soft sigh, "But this is for you two." He placed a stack of cash in Arthur's hand._

_"You'll be taking a loss at this rate." Belle shook her head._

_"That may be, but I'm not leaving you to fend for yourself. Not again. Take this as well."_ _Theodore placed one of the documents into Belle's hands, "This is for her." He nodded towards a red roan mare with a long black mane. Belle gave a bitter smile, "We can't meet again."_

_"I know." Belle whispered as a tear fell. Theodore gave her a soft kiss on her forehead before departing. She stood at the end of the drive until the smoke was long gone from the sky. For once she was scared to be left alone with Arthur. A fear she had never experienced before around him made her feel like a child all over again._

Belle wondered just how she would disappear. Would it be a gradual ghost like appearance until she was no longer able to appear in the real world, or would she just poof into thin air. The fire cracked a little making her jump and sit up. Arthur rubbed his palms together and looked in the direction of the wood burning stove. The cabin was a small one room bit in the middle of nowhere, but it was somewhere to start.

Theodore had left a few days prior leaving the cabin to the two for the time being. With the table shoved to the side it gave the cramped space a bit of leg room. One bed that Belle currently laid in and the chair that Arthur was sitting in. There was gouges in the wood from the other chairs that had been thrown and broken during one of the more emotional conversations between them. What wasn't currently being burned for warmth sat outside of the stove in a pile.

"Did I wake you?" Arthur asked sitting up a little. He tried not to notice how she flinched at his movement. A hand came to his jaw and rubbed the sore bruise on it. Her scream and knuckles against his jaw was a surprise, but sorely needed. As good as Arthur tried to be, he was still a trained outlaw. A killer and a thief. Even so, his soul crushed under the fact that he had truly scared her to the point she was flinching.

"No, I've been awake." The rasp of many hours crying tinged Belle's voice. She sat up and looked towards the fire as if hoping it would burn so brightly that it would turn into the sun.

"Sun will be up in a few hours." Arthur noted sheathing his knife, "Think you can ride well enough we can make our way towards camp."

"We can't stay long." Belle pointed out, "One week after we get back to camp. We have to leave after one week. This is-"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Arthur snapped, shaking his head, "Damn, you ever just let a man alone."

"This is dire." Belle pointed out not knowing when to quit. She was shaking in a mixture of fear and anger of her own, "Hell, if I weren't stuck with you I'd just run off on my own."

"Sure. 'Cuz you have such a good history of being on your own." Arthur snipped at her.

"Oh fuck off." Belle rose to her feet. Her anger cooled into sadness, "You're an ass."

"Never said I wasn't." Arthur snorted and pushed his hat forward in his own way of pausing the conversation. Belle was left fuming, but also knew any more prodding would end in at least more broken furniture.

_"Does it hurt?" Belle looked up from where she sat in the bed eating the last of the stone like bread. Arthur let go of his jaw and nodded, "Good." She said before continuing to try and get a bite from the bread. Arthur, despite the feelings in his chest, laughed._

_"For what it's worth, I'm sorry." Arthur said making Belle stop eating and give him a bitter smile._

_"Remind me in a few days, we'll see how I feel then." She said and Arthur nodded in return._

Belle looked into camp from the edge. One week. Arthur had promised her it would take no longer than one week, but as the days grew colder and leaves began to fall so did he. He fell into his old cadence of life. Unbothered or rather unthinking of what happened before. A badge of his commitment to a nearby settlement names Rhodes as a grand plan was on his chest. His shoulders shoved off the responsibility of it all. Shoving it back towards Belle. Belle would have left all her own. Leave the heartache and him behind, but his timeline was now secured with hers. Secured in a way that a captain sunk with his ship. There wasn't one without the other, not anymore. It was as if he didn't get that. It infuriated her. Was it a man thing to be so eager to wipe it away, or simply the want to forget about it all. 

But he couldn't forget and she knew it. In the way he would stop and tip his head as if listening to a far away sound. His eyes meeting hers as she watched him sneak out of his tent at night. Always eager for a job or duty to keep his mind from anything but her. Belle bided her time. As scared as she was she took a page out of Arthur's book for now. Pushing everything aside in her mind, only letting it back in when the lights disappeared and the noises silenced. The journal in her hands snapped shut when she heard steps behind her. With a wave of her hand she pulled her white shawl over it and slipped it under her skirts.

"Not so good at hidin' stuff are ya?" Bill kicked the journal under her skirts earning a scowl.

"Scared me, thought you were Grimshaw. She's all over me lately." Belle sighed.

"Everyone has been wound tight after everything." Bill grunted, "Heard Arthur talking to Hosea this morning about taking you somewhere important. You and Morgan?"

"What about it?" She said rolling her shoulders.

"Dono, just havn't seen him sweet on someone since his woman left." Bill pointed out crossing his arms and leaning back on his heels.

"He ain't sweet on me first off." Belle snickered at the way Bill rolled his eyes, "Second off, he had a woman?"

"Oh he hasn't told you about her? Figured. He always was a coward when it came to her." He said. Belle felt a little weird thinking about Arthur with another woman. There was almost a bit of anger at it. Was she... could she be jealous. Of a man who spends his life stealing, of a man who was going to kill her, of a man who broke her fingers... of he man who had hunted her down to bring her back here. No way. There was absolutely no way. He was insufferable, stuck up... Bill kicked at her leg breaking her thoughts.

"Come on. I've got guard duty. If you're about to leave might as well get some shooting practice in. Your aim is shit." He said helping her to stand. They both noticed the impatient way Javier was shooting glances towards them.

"With a pistol right?" Belle asked. Bill shot her a shit eating grin and walked towards the tree line, "Bill, we're using a pistol right." He continued to walk towards the tree line acting like he didn't hear her, "Your silence isn't comforting you know!"


	13. Update.

Due to the fact all of my writing for this story has corrupted three times now I am putting this on a hiatus. I’m not sure how long it will be or if I’ll ever continue. I am very sorry about this but losing hundreds of thousands of work multiple times has really set me in a bad way. I do have other fictions I may write on and post but for now I am going to stay on a break. Again I am sorry.


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